Prankster's Apprentice
by noshirtnoshoesnoproblem
Summary: The Weasley Twins take on an apprentice in Harry's year to continue their legacy. Follow the events of Harry Potter through her eyes with new twists at every turn.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: A quick thing about this story. This story is many years in the making, though I just recently wrote it down. As I was reading the HP series my 4th or 5th time, I just developed this new character. She had kind of always been in the back of my mind every time I read them, but suddenly she got her own background and plot or whatnot. I'm trying to keep this story as accurate as possible, but I haven't reread HP this year. It's basically Harry Potter, but the focus is not on Harry as much. I really hope you like it and please review!**

Sasha Vogel stood on Platform 9 3/4. She nervously pulled at her shirt.

"But what if no one likes me?" She asked the tall, stern looking woman beside her.

"Hush." the woman snipped "You are a Vogel. People will flock to you." the woman let out a short quick sound that must've been a laugh. The 2 of them had a striking resemblance. Golden blonde hair, pale complexion, and blue eyes. Though the girls were a deeper shade, her skin was unevenly colored, and her hair was thicker.

"Now hurry before you miss the train." the woman commanded.

The girl hauled her trunk to the train but soon found the load much easier. She turned to see a boy with short brown hair.

"Name's Oliver." he told her. "Figured you could use a hand."

"Thanks." she replied. The boy was clearly older and made her nervous. "I'm Sasha."

"Well Sasha," the boy said, flashing a cool confident smile. "Quidditch Captain. I hope you'll come see me."

"I will." Sasha said. And with that the boy turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Sasha timidly walked down the corridor of the train, looking for an empty compartment. As she looked through the windows, she saw that boy Oliver again. She turned her head to look at him and suddenly found running into someone. They both lost their balance and the other person, a boy tried to spin her around to regain his balance. It was fruitless as she ended up on top of him on the ground. For a second, they lay there, unmoving, then she quickly rolled off. The boy jumped up and grabbed her hand to pull her up.

"I'm terribly sorry!" he said. "I was trying to talking to Lee while I was walking and well, it didn't work out"

"Oh no it was all my fault." she said hurriedly "I got... distracted." She then got a good look at him. He was about a head or two taller than her with bright red hair. He looked her over once then grinned.

"Let me make it up to you. You look a bit lost so I'll do you a favor. After you get settled, come to my compartment. It's just down there. I'll show you around and give you the run down. With me helping you out, a sorry git like yourself might actually make something of themselves."

"Sounds... wonderful." Sasha said. She hated to admit it but she was very caught up. In his speech, in the crowd, in the idea of Hogwarts.

"Great. I'll see you soon. Wait, what's your name?"

"Sasha." she responded, still a bit dazed.

"Right." and the redhead disappeared.

After a few minutes she found a compartment that still had space. 3 other people sat in it.

"May I join you guys?" she asked.

"O' course!" the boy said jumping out of his seat.

"I'm Lavender Brown." one of the girls announced. She extended her hand and Sasha took it.

"Sasha Vogel." Sasha happily shook Lavender's hand.

"And I'm Parvati Patil." The other girl said.

"It's so nice to meet you all." Sasha said. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." She told the boy.

"Seamus Finnigan." he said quickly.

"Seamus! Stop acting like such a sodding git." Lavender chastised. "Please do sit Sasha."

So Sasha took the only seat left, next to Seamus. The girls chattered on and she joined them but she found their constant drawl exhausting and eventually stopped trying. She turned to Seamus.

"Seamus, right? You're rather quiet."

"Sorry." he mumbled

"What was that?"

"Sorry." he said, cleared "Is just... I got an accent. An' lots a people don' undastand. O' they jus' laugh."

Sasha smiled at him.

"Come on, no one cares about your accent. It's not much different than anyone else's"

Seamus lit up

"Well in Ireland tings are a lot dif'rent. Me da took me there once when I was li'tle..." Seamus seemed to open up after that and Sasha liked talking to him much more than she did Parvati and Lavender. Soon, she switched the conversation to the redhead she had met.

"So I ran into this guy, he was a redhead, and a bit of a smooth talker."

"Red'ead? Soun's like a Weasley." Seamus pointed out

"He asked me to meet him in his compartment."

"Migh' as well. The Weasleys are good people."

"Well then I should go now, shouldn't I?" Sasha asked.

"Alrigh'. I'll be 'ere"

Sasha exited her compartment and took the short walk down to the redhead's. She peeked inside and saw two of him. They were clearly twins. There was another boy in the compartment who was dark and holding a box that had holes poked in it. One of the twins looked up and his face broke out into a smile. He beckoned her in. She opened the door.

"Oy!" He said to the two others "This is the girl I was talking about. Sasha."

"The one you ran over?" his twin asked "Sorry about my brother. He's a right schmuck."

"Hey now!" the other responded "No need to get temperamental. Sasha, have a seat." He gave his twin a shove and the twin moved to sit near their friend, clearing a seat for Sasha.

"I never got your name." Sasha mentioned.

"Fred." he said "Fred Weasley. 3rd year. Best bleeding beater on the Quidditch team-"

"Oy!" his brother interjected.

"And a Gryffindor. But that's an obvious one. All us Weasleys are."

"And I'm George." his brother said "same as him on everything. Though I actually am the best."

"In your dreams." Fred laughed which spurred and argument.

"I'm Lee Jordan. Same as them though I don't play Quidditch. They're like this a lot." Their friend said, extending his hand.

"Sasha Vogel." Sasha said "1st year, I don't know how to play Quidditch. And I haven't been sorted yet."

"Don't know how to play Quidditch?" Fred said, interrupting he and George's playful argument. "That's impossible!"

"Well, my mum never let me. Said it wasn't lady-like." Sasha blushed.

"Well," Fred said jokingly putting his arm over her shoulders. "I guess I may show you one time. I am the best." he said shooting George a look. This time, George had no comment.

The 4 of them talked for the rest of the trip and she found they were all extremely easy to talk to. Them, combined with Seamus, Lavender, Parvati, and Oliver, made her confident she was going to like Hogwarts.

**So there's my first chapter! I hope everyone likes it and please review. Also, sorry about Seamus' accent. I'm not good at accents but it didn't feel right without. Also, if you notice any consistency errors or just anything off, please let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

The train squealed to a stop and Sasha got up. Everyone began to flood from the train and she felt herself being pulled with them. She felt all of her nervousness rush back to her and the crowd pushed her. She didn't see any familiar faces. She had no idea what to do and wanted to scream. She frantically scanned for Fred, or Seamus, or Lee or someone!

Suddenly, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. It was Oliver.

"Lost?" he said

"I have no idea what to do!" she admitted.

"Come with me." he gently led her over to a strict looking woman.

"Professor," Oliver said "This is my friend Sasha. She's a first year."

"Oh good." The witch said "I was about to call you all. I'm Professor McGonagall. I teach Transfiguration and I am the head of Gryffindor."

"It's nice to meet you." Sasha said "I'm Sasha."

"What's your last name?" Professor McGonagall asked. Sasha hesitated.

"Vogel." Sasha said meekly.

"Oh." Professor McGonagall snipped. "Well okay. Mr. Wood, you best be hurrying along. I'll take care of this one."

"See you on the inside." Oliver told Sasha and he ran off.

Professor McGonagall began to call out to the other first years. Lavender and Parvati arrived and waved Sasha over.

"We heard you left us to go sit with _older boys_!" Parvati exclaimed.

"You _must _tell us everything!" Lavender squealed.

"I mean-" but Sasha was quickly cut off by McGonagall. The professor began to explain that they would be sorted into 4 houses.

"Gryffindor boys are _soooo _cute!" Lavender giggled "But brainy boys from Ravenclaw aren't too bad either."

"Even Slytherin boys have their benefits." Parvati added.

"As long as they're not Hufflepuffs!" Lavender pointed out. Sasha smiled faintly. She wished she could be like them, waiting in anticipation to see what house she would be sorted into. But Sasha already knew where she was going and there was no use fighting it.

The students were all ushered into the Great Hall and immediately Sasha's breath was taken away. When her older brother was a first year he had described it to her, but he had long graduated and words could not possibly describe the beauty of it. All the first years lined up in alphabetical order. Since she was a V, she was close to the back. Sasha watched as Lavender was sorted into Gryffindor. Seamus and Parvati went into Gryffindor. She heard McGonagall announce

"Harry Potter!" Sasha looked up quickly. She knew Harry was close to her age, but her year? How had she not known? That was obvious, her parents didn't speak of Harry too often. His sorting seemed to take longer than most but eventually, the sorting hat bellowed

"Gryffindor!" The Gryffindor table cheered as Harry made his way over. More named were called and eventually, she heard McGonagall say

"Sasha Vogel!" Sasha made her way up to the front and stood in front of everyone. She sat on the stool and the hat was place on top of her head. Her heart raced. Her palms were slick with sweat and she absentmindedly wiped them on her robes. The next few seconds seemed to go agonizingly slow. She could feel the hat start to form the letter "S". She scanned the room and suddenly, she locked eyes with Fred. He gave her an assuring smile and she felt her fear disappear. Though she knew in her heart that after the Sorting Hat spoke, he wouldn't want anything to do with her.

"S-Gryffindor!" The S at the beginning had been so faint and undetectable, Sasha wasn't entirely sure that it had even been there. It was probably her being paranoid. She walked towards the Gryffindor table and saw Fred give George a shove. George scooted over to make way for Sasha.

"Oy!" Fred said playfully giving her a noogie. "Congrats on making it to the best house!"

"Not that you wouldn't" George added "I could tell from the minute I saw you, you were destined for Gryffindor."

"Of course I knew that as well!" Fred said quickly. "Anyways, we've been thinking, and we've got a proposition for you."

"Okay, go." Sasha said

"I already promised to show you around, and we didn't want to get your hopes up in case you weren't in Gryffindor. But you see, George and I, we only have 4 more years left in this place." Fred began

"And we worry that life will get too boring for teacher's like old Snape over there after we leave." George added

"So we need a protege. You know, someone to take under our wing."

"And we looked over all the other first years and well-"

"They were all a bunch of prats." Fred interjected

"Right."

"So what do you say? How would you like to be taught the ways of the best-"

"TWO best."

"Pranksters at Hogwarts?" Fred finished. Sasha laughed

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" She said

"Not at all." Fred responded.

"Then I'm in."


	3. Chapter 3

After dinner, they all returned to the common room. They were led by yet another red head.

"Tha's Percy Weasley." Seamus explained

"Another Weasley?" Sasha exclaimed.

"Aye. There's a whole lot o' 'em. See that one o'er there? 'e's anotha." Seamus pointed to another ginger talking to Harry Potter.

"An' tha's 'Arry Pottah." Seamus said

"I know who he is!" Sasha told Seamus "Who doesn't?"

"Good point." Seamus said.

Suddenly, someone grasped her hand. It was Lavender.

"Come on! You, me, and Parvati are going to room together!" She said excitedly as she pulled Sasha away.

They entered a room with plenty of beds. There were curtains around them for privacy. Sasha sat down on one.

"I guess that's yours." Lavender said "I'm right here next to you, and Parvati's on my other side. Your bed's farthest from the bathroom. Sorry, but first come first serve!"

"Well it is closest to the window." Sasha pointed out. She looked out the window and she could see the lake. It was beautiful and glistening and made her feel serene. Like nothing could hurt her.

"Then it works out for everyone!" Lavender said, smiling.

"So," Parvati said with a devilish grin "What's this about you spending so much time with the Weasley twins?"

"We ran into each other on the train!" Sasha explained, blushing.

"_Please! _ They run into plenty of people. That's hardly a reason for them to take an interest in you!' Lavender pointed out

"They're being friendly! Showing me around. Let's be realistic, they're 2 years older than me."

"But they are the most gorgeous guys in school!" Parvati told her

"Other than Oliver Wood!" Lavender squealed

"Sasha." Parvati said, suddenly very serious "You have the opportunity of a lifetime here. _Don't waste it._"

The next few weeks at Hogwarts were well, magical. Sasha would learn things properly in class, then afterwards, Fred would teach her how to make it devilish. On occasion George would join them, but he always seemed busy with something else.

"Honestly," Fred told her one day "He wasn't really into the whole apprentice thing. I convinced him. He's not the teaching type really. So it's all up to me."

"So all this was your idea?" Sasha asked

"Of course!" he said proudly

"And you didn't have anyone in particular in mind for this 'apprenticeship'?" She questioned further.

"Of course not!" he said

"Hmm... Okay Mr Weasley. I'll have to have a chat with George or Lee about it."

"Alright. Maybe, I had a slight inkling that you would be a good candidate to learn the ways of pranking."

"That's what I thought!" Sasha said triumphantly.

Soon though, Fred spent less time with Sasha and more time practicing Quidditch. Sasha spent a lot of her time with Seamus, Lavender, and Parvati but they could be a bit distracting. So Sasha took to hiding out in the library. That was where she first met Hermione Granger. Sasha was having difficulty with a spell and couldn't help but remember something from class earlier that day.

"Excuse me." she said, turning to the bushy haired girl next to her "I couldn't help but overhear you yelling at Ron in class today... How is it this spell is pronounced?"

"LeviOsa." the girl said

"LeviOsa?" Sasha tried

"That's it... I'm Hermione Granger."

"Sasha Vogel."

"You spend all your time with the Weasley twins right?" Hermione asked

"Not all of it. I spend a lot of time with Seamus and Lavender and Parvati too!" Sasha added

"Well if I were you, I'd stay away from those Weasley boys. I don't know the twins but if they are anything like their younger brother, they can't be good news."

"Trust me, I've heard that many a time. But they've been absolutely wonderful since I came to Hogwarts and I can hardly stop hanging out with them now." Sasha said

"Well, who knows? Maybe they take after Percy?" Hermione said comfortingly. Sasha let out a loud harsh laugh

"Yes and maybe Snape has a sensitive side!" she said

"I'm sure he does... maybe?" Hermione said. They both laughed.

"You know, you're probably the one girl I've met here thats not gossip and boy crazy!" Sasha said, relieved.

And from that point on, everyday that Fred had Quidditch practice, Sasha would go to the library to spend time with Hermione.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Sorry this is pretty short, but I haven't submitted in a chapter in a bit so I really wanted to get this in tonight. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up within the next few days. Also, I want to apologize in advance for any character or plot inconsistencies. I'm trying guys! I love everyone. Also, I have forgotten this in previous chapters but:**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter though I thoroughly, sincerely, and with all my heart wish I did. J.K. Rowling is My idol.**_

By October, all the first years had settled into a comfortable schedule. Sasha went to all her classes with either Seamus, Lavender, or Parvati. After class, she'd spend time with Fred and sometimes Lee and George. When Fred and George were at practice, she went to the library with Hermione. It was a week before Halloween and the twins were giddy with excitement.

"Halloween is our second favorite holiday." Fred explained

"April Fool's being our first." George added

"Also our birthday." Fred pointed out

"That explains so much." Sasha laughed.

"Anyways, Halloween's a pretty big day for us." George began

"We have to do something good. People expect it of us." Fred said excitedly

"Usually, we prepare for months for Halloween, starting somewhere at the end of August, beginning of September at the latest. Unfortunately, Fred has been a bit...distracted of late, and we haven't even started. Lee's already agreed to help us pull something together. But-" George said

"We could use another hand." Fred said, flashing his unforgettable grin.

"You know I can't say no to that face." She said, playfully squeezing his cheeks.

"Knew we could count on you, Sash." George said.

Soon Sasha was spending the majority of her time preparing with the boys. Though thanks to Fred, she could describe every prank they ever pulled in detail, from the first time they pretended to be each other, to their first attempt at making magical fireworks. She had never actually been a part of one of their pranks.

"Well, it seems fitting that your initiation into the prankster world would be the night of Halloween." Fred said as he caught up with her after class.

"What are we going to do?" Sasha asked him

"Honestly, I haven't the slightest idea. Usually, George and I plan it out, but...well meet me in the common room tonight at midnight and we'll discuss it."

That night, Sasha slipped past Parvati and Lavender and made her way downstairs. Fred was sitting by the fire, he seemed to be pouring over a book of some sort.

"Fred." She said quietly. He whipped his head towards her. There was a certain fire in his eyes.

"Hey! There you are!" He said

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Did you get any sleep?" Sasha said

"No, there's way too much work to do!" he said " George went to bed hours ago but I've been down here all night."

"What have you been doing?" She said, stifling a laugh

"This!" He said holding up the book

"What is it?" Sasha questioned. Fred laughed loudly

"What is it? Only the most important thing I own! This book, has every prank I've ever came up with in it. Look! Look at this!" He gestured her over into the dim light of the fire and showed her a page.

"I was about 5 or 6 when I wrote this one!" The handwriting was sloppy and childish.

"I turned Ron's teddy bear into a spider! A spider! He's horrified of them now. Arachnophobia. Ha! That was all me!" Fred told her excitedly

"Fred! You're so loud!" she said in a hushed tone.

"OH! SORRY! sorry!" He said

"You need to sleep!" She told him

"Yeah, no. Noooo. We've got work to do!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the couch. He flipped later into the book.

"I've got so many ideas. But I need your help! This is your first time! Your prank! YOU have to do this!"

"Fred, you really need to get some sleep. You have class tomorrow." Sasha said gently.

"It doesn't matter!" he yelled. He looked at her deeply and she saw the intensity in his eyes. Then he lowered his tone.

"No one gets it." He told her "Not Lee, not Oliver, not Angelina. Not even George gets it. This is all I have. Pulling pranks is my life. I know people like George better. He's nicer, less critical, I don't care! I don't have to be the popular one. But if you take the pranks away, I'm just George's annoying twin brother. Please, Sasha you've got to help me." Looking at Fred, with bags under his eyes, his tie crooked, hair messy, she couldn't help but feel, sorry for him.

"Okay Fred. I'll help you. But then you need to sleep." she told him

"Ok. Ok." he said.

He held out the book and she took it. There were detailed sketches and crazy doodles, well written paragraphs and random notes.

"I was thinking, that new teacher Quirrell has had it too easy. We need to give him a taste of his next few years at Hogwarts. I was thinking, we take that turban and we..."

Sasha listened to him plan and watched him draw and make notes and she just smiled to herself. That night she had seen an entirely new side of Fred, and it was... exhilarating.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I'm terribly sorry I haven't been updating as much as I would like but there's been a lot going on in my life. I intend to update a lot more this week as school is coming to a close. Please bear with me. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of Harry Potter.**

Sasha yawned as she awoke. She hadn't been this tired in so long. She didn't want to open her eyes and face the sunlight that the window by her bed was undoubtedly letting in. But something felt off, though she couldn't quite place it. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself face to face with Fred.

"Oh my god!" she sat up quickly, startled. Her sudden movement almost caused her to go tumbling off the couch but fortunately, Fred had awoke suddenly and with lightning quick reflexes, he had grabbed her waist and steadied her.

"What in bloody hell are you doing?" he asked, obviously just as confused as her.

"Sorry! You scared me." Sasha said, taking a deep breath.

"We must've fallen asleep working on the prank..." Fred said, looking around. His eyes met her and they were suddenly both uncomfortably aware that she was sitting on hi, and his arm was around her waist. She slid off of him and he pulled his arm back. For an awkward moment, they sat in silence. Then, he noticed the book that had fallen to the floor at one point in the night. He bent, picked it up, and flipped to the last entry. He broke into a grin.

"It's gonna be a good Halloween."

The next week was filled with preparation. Even when she was in class, Sasha was sketching and plotting, always trying to make it better and better.

"Sasha!" Lavender said one day in Charms. Instead of practicing the charm like she should have, she had been writing out each step of the plan, then using her wand to erase the ink so no one could see it.

"Pay attention!" She said.

"Sorry..." Sasha mumbled

"You're so distracted recently." Lavender pointed out "Spending way to much time with those Weasley twins!"

"Come on Lav," Sasha said "I've been... studying."

"Studying, studying, studying" Lavender said pointedly "Is that what you were doing when you snuck back into bed at 7 in the morning two days ago?"

"Well I..." Sasha began

"oh hush. I won't tell anyone." Lavender said, putting her hand on Sasha's shoulder.

"I was studying!" Sasha said "I fell asleep on the couch!"

"Whatever you say... but Lee tells me that Fred also went to bed at an ungodly hour." Lavender giggled

"Since when are you friends with Lee?" Sasha exclaimed

"Maybe if you took you're head out of the 'books' and looked around, you'd start noticing things..." Lavender said in a sing song voice. Sasha gave her a look but Lavender said nothing more on the matter.

Halloween had finally arrived but Sasha had not seen the twins all day. She was lounging in the common room with Seamus, awaiting the Halloween Feast.

"I can' believe 'Arry got a broomstick!" Seamus exclaimed "Lucky bugger."

"He's going to be the new seeker for Gryffindor." Sasha pointed out "Who gave it to him though?"

"I dunno. It costs quite a bit a money though. Whoever bought it 'as a pretty full pocket."

Suddenly, Fred burst in, out of breath, hair a mess, tie undone.

"Fred!" Sasha said

"Sasha!" He exclaimed

"Where have you been?" She asked

"I-" he looked at Seamus questioningly

"I get it. This is one a those Fred 'n Sasha thin's." He said sounding resigned "I'll see ya dow' there...won't I?" Sasha looked at Fred who nodded

"Yes, save me a seat." Sasha said. Seamus stood and left. Fred made sure he was gone, then raced over to sit next to Sasha.

"Where have you been?" she said

"You'll never believe what I've been through!" he told her, grabbing her arm

"You're bleeding!" she shrieked "We've got to get you to Madam Pomfrey!"

"No!" he said "I'll handle it. It's only a scratch." Sasha gave him a long serious look. His eyes were wide with excitement, but she finally determined that he wasn't in too much pain.

"So where were you?" Sasha said. Fred looked around, checking for anyone suspicious. He lowered his voice dramatically and answered.

"The 3rd floor corridor."

"What were you doing there? What's up there?" Sasha asked

"George and I decided to check it out...just for kicks. It's kinda expected of us." Fred answered. "We got up there, the door was locked but George used a charm to unlock it. We walked in but, it was horrible!"

"What?" Sasha asked

"There was a...a dog!" Fred said, frightened

"A dog?" Sasha asked "Really?"

"Not just any dog! He had 3 heads! And he was huge!" Fred exclaimed "As we were running out, he scratched my arm."

"Where's George? Is he okay?" Sasha asked

"Yeah, he's fine. He's already downstairs. I came up here so I could clean myself up before I went down." Fred said. His tone suddenly became very serious. "This _will not _ interfere in any way with the plan. Go downstairs. I'll be down in a few." Sasha was hesitant to leave him, but he was adamant that she go. She went downstairs and took her seat next to Seamus

"E'ery thing alrigh'?" He asked

"Just fine." Sasha said.

Dinner began but there was no sign of Fred. Sasha, George, and Lee nervously ate their food but could hardly enjoy the night. Fred was the mastermind. They couldn't possibly do the plan without him.

"Come on!" Lee said. "Let's just do it." He sat next to George, who was across from Sasha. They leaned across the table and whispered, though everyone was too caught up in the thrill if the night to notice them.

"This meant so much to him. If he misses it..."

"It will kill him." Fred finished for Sasha.

"10 more minutes, Lee! He'll be here. You know he will." Sasha said. But she didn't truly believe her own words. Her mind was racing. What could've happened to him? The wound to his arm hadn't seemed that bad. She hadn't gotten a very good look though. Maybe it was a lot worse than she had thought. Maybe he was lying on the floor of the common room, bleeding out. Just when she thought that there was no hope, Fred came rushing in. He hadn't cleaned up at all. His shirt had a good amount of blood on it. He sat down next to Sasha.

"Where in bloody hell have you been?" Lee asked

"You'll never believe what I saw!" Fred gasped

"The dog, we know!" George growled

"No! No, it's..." Before Fred could finish, there was a commotion at the front of the Hall.

"Troll! Troll! In the Dungeon! Just thought you should know..." Professor Quirrell collapsed into a heap in the middle of the Hall. Suddenly, everyone was in a commotion. The professors tried desperately to calm everyone. Percy, the twins older brother, took command. Fred rolled his eyes.

"Come on." He said gruffly. He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the hall. "He is so full of himself! He's a bloody prefect! Not king of bloody Hogwarts!"

"Fred, maybe we should go to the common room and talk about this. There is a troll roaming around..." Sasha said gently.

"Yeah your probably right..." Fred grumbled. He disappeared into the crowd and Sasha attempted to follow him.

Sasha had never done well in crowds. She began to panic. All she could think about was getting out. There were people everywhere she turned. Sasha pushed and shoved, desperately looking for Fred's familiar red hair but it was nowhere to be found. After what felt like hours, she found herself in an empty corridor. She let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall, but her moment of peace was quickly ruined. There was a loud rumbling noise from the other end of the corridor. Through the dimly lit hall, she could just barely make out a large, bulky figure making it's way towards her. She immediately turned to run but the troll, although slow moving, had bigger legs and he was slowly gaining on her. As cliche as it was, she tripped. She wanted to scream out in frustration as she picked herself up. As she once again began to run, something grabbed her. She screamed and instantly began to beat at the thing grabbing her.

"Stupefy!"

There was a loud wailing noise from the troll and it retreated. Sasha collapsed against her savior, exhausted.

"Are you ok?"

"Oliver." Sasha said, shocked.

"What are you doing down here?" he asked

"I had to get out of that crowd."

"Remind me, next time theres a panic to keep an eye on you."

Oliver brought Sasha back to the common room and all at once she was surrounded.

"Where have you been?" Fred yelled

"Had us worried sick!" George added

"Do you want us to have heart attacks?"

"You can't just wander off like that!"

"Fred, George. Calm down. She was with me." Oliver said cooly

"Oh well as long as she was with Oliver then everything is just fine!" Fred shouted sarcastically.

"I suppose you could handle a troll all by yourself!" George said angrily. Sasha giggled a bit at that.

"Honestly Sash, I leave you alone for a minute and you disappear." Fred said, disappointed.

"I'm not a baby Fred. I don't need you taking care of me all the time." Sasha said sharply "As you can see, I'm perfectly all right. Stop acting like I can't take care of myself. I've been doing it for 11 years."

And with that Sasha pushed past the twins and into the common room. She sat down with Lavender and Parvati and listened to their girlish banter which was very unlike Sasha. She pointedly ignored the twins. She wasn't really mad at them. It was sweet how protective they were. But they made her look like such a child in front of Oliver. Not that she liked Oliver. But he was an older guy!

"Honestly, I love them, but why can't they leave me alone!" Sasha groaned later that night as she and Seamus were studying.

"Sasha, they care about ya. Ya can' hones'ly be mad." He said soothingly.

"Ugh I don't know!"

"Well,... Wha' about yer prank?" He asked "I know you been plannin it for a while now."

"Yeah well the whole thing was kind of ruined by the troll."

"I though' tha' was the prank..." Seamus said, confused.

As he said it, McGonagall rushed in. She went to the other side of the room where Fred had been moping. She harshly whispered something to him and led him out. It all happened so fast that hardly anyone noticed it had happened at all.

"Wait, oh my god Seamus." Sasha said with horror. "Someone let a troll into the castle."

"Yeah...and?" Seamus asked

"Fred comes rushing in late to dinner, a mess, coated in blood. The whole school knows he's been planning something." Sasha was slowly putting it together

"Seamus. They think Fred let the troll in."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I have been trying to make a lot of decisions about this story. I would like everyone's opinion on my ideas. I am considering combining books 2 and 3 into one or two very short chapters. I don't have many ideas for them. I would like to know if you readers think this is a good idea or not. Also, please review. I really enjoy getting feedback. If you have ANY issues with the story PLEASE let me know. Also, if you haven't heard, in October, J.K. Rowling is opening a website called "Pottermore". It's supposed to be a really amazing reading experience. I recommend everyone goes to the website ****.com**** to check it out.**

"Sasha, it's almos' one in th' mornin.'." Seamus said gently.

"I can't go to sleep. Not yet. You go." Seamus hesitantly rose. He put his hand comfortingly on her shoulder. He gave her a long sad look and went upstairs. Sasha pulled her legs into her body and curled up on the couch. It had been a long day and she wanted to sleep but she knew she couldn't. Fred had yet to return and she couldn't sleep without knowing what had happened. Of course Fred hadn't let the troll in. He wasn't that dumb. She thought back to the night they had begun planning. He wanted this prank to be legendary. If he had let the troll loose in the castle... Sasha couldn't think about the consequences. Sasha attempted to read her potions book but she could not focus. Finally, what seemed like hours later, Fred walked in.

"Oh my god! What happened?" Sasha said, jumping up. Fred looked back at her, exhausted.

"Are you speaking to me now?" he said dully.

"Yes! Tell me what happened!" Sasha was impatient.

"What do you think? They think I let the troll in." He stood awkwardly where he had came in. Unmoving.

"Well, you told them right? That it wasn't you." Sasha said

"How could I? Oh, I didn't let the troll in, I was too busy being attacked by the giant three headed dog in the forbidden third floor corridor!"

"Fred, you didn't do it. We know that."

"They don't!" he exploded "They have more than enough proof to have me kicked out! Wand snapped, left no better than a Squib!"

"Fred-"

"I'm going to bed." He turned and went up the staircase without another word.

Sasha sat there, and debated going to bed. But she knew what she had to do. Quietly, she left the dormitories. She snuck through the castle silently. She avoided the ghosts, and the few rambunctious paintings that had yet to fall asleep. Finally, she made it to the headmaster's office. She was face to face with a large stone gargoyle. She was made painfully aware of the fact that she had no idea how to move it. As she despaired, it slowly moved away, revealing a large doorway. In it, stood Dumbledore himself.

"Miss Vogel," he said "A little past your bedtime isn't it."

"I-I'm very sorry Professor. But, I really need to talk to you." Sasha had never spoken to the headmaster. To her, he was a large, untouchable sign of power at Hogwarts. One word from him and he could make or break her future.

"Well, you better come in then. No sense in talking in the hall like a couple of school children."

Sasha tentatively stepped into his office. It was large and round. On the walls hung pictures of every headmaster there had ever been. The room was filled with various objects of great historical significance, including the sorting hat.

"What seems to be the problem, that could not wait until morning?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's about the troll." Sasha said "I know it looks like it, but Fred couldn't-didn't bring it into the castle. And you can't expel him. It's not fair! And-"

"Miss Vogel. I know Fred didn't do it." Dumbledore said calmly.

"You do?" She asked

"Of course. I have known the Weasley family for many years and while Fred has been behind some very troublesome pranks, I know he would never put the school in such danger."

"But then, why would McGonagall pull him out for such a long time?" Sasha asked

"Though I am confident that Fred was not the source of this commotion, some of teachers, and members of the board, still needed convincing."

"But, they believe him now, right?"

"Some people may need some more convincing, but rest assured I will not let young Fred be punished for this." Dumbledore concluded.

Sasha had a pretty good idea of who was trying to get Fred kicked out, but with Dumbledore on his side, she was positive he'd be okay.

"It was very noble of you to come to me at this hour to help your friend." Dumbledore told her.

"I had to, I wouldn't know what to do if Fred was expelled."

"You're a true friend Sasha. And in this day and age, we all need as many of those as we can get."

"Thank you Professor." Sasha stood to leave but Dumbledore stopped her.

"Sasha, I have been wondering how you're parents have taken the news." Sasha froze.

"What news?"

"The news of you being sorted into Gryffindor." He responded

"Oh they were fine..." Sasha said meekly

"Now Sasha, I taught your parents. And they were some of the proudest Slytherins in their class. I hardly believe they accepted their only daughter being put into Slytherin very well." Sasha sighed. There was no point in lying

"I haven't told them yet."

"Yes, I thought as much. The longer you wait, the harder they will take it." Dumbledore pointed out.

"I know, I'll tell them soon."

"Very soon I hope."

"Thank you so much Professor." Sasha said

"Your very welcome Sasha. Visit any time... Perhaps, during the daylight hours next time."

Sasha hurried back to the dormitories and slipped into the common room. The Fat Lady was hardly pleased about waking up at such an hour but Sasha wasn't concerned. Knowing Fred was safe made her feel so much better. She wanted to tell him the news but she didn't think he would be to pleased at being woken up. Especially after how their last two conversations had gone. But as she entered the common room she was met with a surprise. Fred was sitting on the couch, but hopped up the second he saw her.

"There you are!" he exclaimed

"Yes, what are you doing awake? You went to bed an hour ago." Sasha questioned

"I went upstairs an hour ago, but I felt so horrible that we had fought, I came back downstairs to apologize but you weren't there. The Fat Lady told me you left. I tried to find you but I had no clue where you were going. So I came back here to wait." Fred looked so upset.

"You don't need to apologize. I started it." Sasha told him

"Not at all! You had every right to be angry with me. I was being over protective. And then, when I snapped at you earlier tonight... I was angry you weren't speaking to me. You were just being a concerned friend."

"Fred, I over reacted. We shouldn't have been fighting in the first place and it's my fault." Sasha told him

"I'm just glad we're done with all that... Where were you anyways?"

"Honestly, I went to speak to Dumbledore." Sasha said

"Why would you do that?" Fred asked

"I couldn't let you get expelled! I went to tell him that it wasn't you."

"What did he say?" Fred sounded nervous

"He told me, that he believed you. He knew you would never put the school in danger like that." Sasha told him

"So am I in the clear?"

"Well, he said a few teachers and board members are still after you..."

"Snape and Malfoy." Fred said

"That's what I thought." Sasha told him

"They've always had something against me...or my family. I'll tell you why. They're Death Eaters! And they can't stand the fact that my family actually stood up to Voldemort."

"Fred, those are very serious accusations." Sasha said quietly "There's no proof of that."

"What proof do I need? Simply being a Slytherin is proof enough!" Fred told her

"Not all Slytherins are bad Fred." Sasha said with a hint of anger.

"What? Got a crush on Malfoy or something?" Fred said in his teasing voice

"Of course not! It's just, you shouldn't judge people." Sasha told him

"Maybe" Fred began "You shouldn't be so trusting."

"Whatever. Just drop it. I'm tired. I've been up all night worrying about you." She gave him a playful shove

"Me? I spent the past hour searching the castle for you! Disappearing in the middle of the night... Are you trying to kill me?" Fred wrapped his arm around her neck and jokingly gave her a noogie. "I can't be watching you all the time!"

"You are an idiot Fred."

Sasha went upstairs and collapsed into bed. Finally, she slept soundly and didn't have a care in the world.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: I intend to be updating more frequently now. Please review! As of right now, I will probably make books 2 and 3 only be 2 chapters or so each. If you have any issues with this, please let me know! ****Also, I just watched the final Harry Potter on Saturday. Honestly I cried nonstop (SPOILER ALERT) from the moment you saw Fred Weasley dead, until Neville killed Nagini. Then of course, I cried at the end, realizing it was the last new thing to come of Harry Potter. I got home, and I haven't really written for about 2 weeks, and I just had to write because I felt like, I had to make Harry Potter still be alive. I heard some rumors about a spin off about Neville Longbottom, or I heard from a reliable source that J.K Rowling offered to write an 8th book if Daniel, Emma, and Rupert would stay on for another movie, but they refused. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I sincerely hope everyone continues to be avid fans. I know I'm about to begin my yearly reread of the series. Never let them Manage your Mischief. - Delaney**

After Halloween, everything seemed so calm. Sasha's life found a sense of normality. November rolled in and the grounds developed a cozy winter-like feel. Each night, Sasha would snuggle up in the common room with her friends to study. Soon though, all they could talk about was the first Quidditch match. With Harry as the new Gryffindor seeker, everyone was positive of a win. The night before, Oliver Wood broke away from his usual group of friends and approached Sasha.

"Hey." He said

"Hey Oliver!" Sasha found she no longer felt so nervous around him. "Good luck in your match tomorrow."

"Thanks. You'll be there, right?" he asked

"Always. Fred and George would kill me if I didn't go." She told him

"Yeah. They're some right good beaters. Reliable." Oliver looked around nervously.

"Oliver Wood." Sasha said "Are you scared?"

"Me?" he asked "Never." Sasha raised an eyebrow, a talent she had long ago perfected.

"Well, it's against Slytherin!" he broke down "What if we lose? I'll be the Captain of the team who lost to Slytherin."

"Mr. Wood." Sasha said, aghast "If you will claim that team as your own when you win, you sure as hell better be proud to be their captain, even when they lose!" Oliver stopped shifting about and looked in her eyes.

"You're right. I've got a great team, and nothing to be worried about!" Sasha laughed.

"Now, I've got to go study. So unless you want to help me write a paper for Flitwick, I suggest you move along."

"See you tomorrow Sasha."

"SASHA! WAKE UP WAKE UP!" Lavender Brown bounced around Sasha's bed.

"Lavender! I'm trying to sleep." Sasha pulled the covers over her head.

"Not anymore!" Lavender and Parvati ripped the covers from Sasha's bed.

"Come on Sasha!" Parvati groaned. "The first Quidditch match is today! Don't you want to see your booooyfriennddd" Parvati said the word in a singsong voice.

"He is not my boyfriend! ... wait, who?" Sasha asked

"Fred." Lavender said simply.

"Or Oliver." Added Parvati

"Or both." They giggled.

"Now scoot! We have to get breakfast and then get out to the Quidditch pitch. We want good seats!" Lavender squealed

Sasha crawled out of bed and prepared for the day.

The great hall was packed and everyone was abuzz. Sasha spotted Harry Potter surrounded by a group of people.

"Good luck today Harry!" she told him as she passed. They had never spoken before but she was fairly sure he knew who she was. He smiled at her and nodded his head. Someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the table

"Fred!" she chided "You can't simply pull me around all the time. Use your words."

"I would, but you can hardly hear in here anyways." he pointed out.

"Fine." She sat down. "Nervous?"

"Me? Never." Fred said "I'm a seasoned beater. I know that Quidditch pitch like my own brother."

"Oh that's saying a mouthful." George laughed "What's my favorite color?"

"Blue." Fred said smugly

"That's your favorite color Fred. Not mine"

"Were twins. It doesn't matter. Everyone thinks I'm you either way."

"Damn." George said

Sasha and Seamus walked down to the Quidditch pitch together chatting.

"Me mum says I hafta come home for tha' holidays. O'course, I don' mind. Me mum always cooks up a feast."

"Seamus one day you will eat so much you'll explode!" Seamus laughed.

"What about you? You 'eadin home for Christmas?"

"I'm not so sure yet. I'll probably write my mother when I get back to the dorm."

The two sat next to Lavender and Parvati. Soon the game started. Lee was narrating in his over excited voice and you could hear McGonagall chastise him more than once. The game was extremely invigorating. Sasha had never watched a full Quidditch match before. Her mother didn't really approve. Each time a bludger went near one of the twins, Sasha held her breath. Images of them (particularly Fred) being smacked in the face, falling off his broom, plummeting to his death, ran amok through her head. When she wasn't fearing for their lives she watched Oliver. He was rather nimble on the pitch and she was very impressed.

"Sasha, you're cheering rather loudly for Oliver." Parvati noted

"Not as loud as she is for Fred though." Lavender pointed out.

"I'm cheering just as much as the both of you!" Sasha snapped. Just as Lavender and Parvati began to voice their disagreement, Seamus interjected

"Looks like Harrys after the Snitch!" he exclaimed. The girls immediately quit their bickering to watch. After a perilous flight, Harry was on the ground, but no snitch was in sight. Sasha held her breath. Her hand found Seamus'.

"What's he doing?" Lavender asked

"Choking?" Parvati said tentatively.

Out of his mouth came the Golden snitch. The Gryffindors erupted into cheers.

"Gryffindor wins! Gryffindor wins!" Lee shouted.

That night, the Gryffindor common room was alight with excited students. Sasha meant to congratulate Harry, but he was thickly surrounded by other Gryffindors. Sasha couldn't help but think how overwhelmed he looked. Next she spotted Oliver. He had a decent amount of followers but he caught her eye and broke off. He was threading his way through the crowd towards her when someone casually slipped their arm around her shoulders and led her out the door.

"Fred Gideon Weasley! What are you doing?" Sasha demanded

"I figured you could use a break. I know how you feel about crowded areas." He said earnestly.

"Oh well..that was sweet. But I can handle myself." Sasha said, slightly softer than before.

"Fine. Go back inside. I guess you'll never know then." Fred said in a singsong voice. Sasha knew Fred well enough to know he was baiting her, but curiosity got the best of her.

"Fine. I'll bite. What is it Fred?" Sasha resigned.

"I knew I was just too irresistible for you Sash." He smirked.

"Just tell me Fred!" Sasha giggled, punching him lightly.

"Well, what is a party without food?" he asked

"So we're going to get food?" Sasha said skeptically. "That's hardly on your level Fred."

"Do you know anyone else that just strolls into the kitchen at any hour to get food? No. Because they don't know how. But George and I do." Fred told her

"Wow Fred. Stealing food like a street child. Impressive." Sasha said sarcastically.

"Shut it. It's a useful thing to know. Now follow me or head back into the common room. I've got to score some food before everyone goes to sleep." Fred started off down the hallway. Sasha paused briefly and turned to the closed portrait hole where she could faintly hear the noise inside. Then she looked at Fred's figure slinking away down the hallway.

"Can't get rid of me that easy Gideon." she laughed.

"Don't call me that Adrianna." Fred shoved her. The two went down to the dungeons where they stood in front of a picture of fruit.

"Well?" Sasha asked

"Here it is." Fred announced

"Here what is?" Sasha said, confused.

"The entrance to the kitchen!" Fred told her "the trick, is to tickle the pear."

He reached up and did just so. A doorknob appeared and Fred turned it. The painting swung open and Fred stepped in with Sasha following. In the kitchen, house elves swarmed about. Dinner had been served some time ago, but each house elf looked as though they were completely immersed in whatever business they were attending to.

"What do we do now?" Sasha asked. Fred looked at the small creatures darting around their legs and suddenly, reached down and scooped one up.

"Ah. Hello Master Weasley." It said.

"Hello. We would like food for the Gryffindor dormitories." Fred told it.

"Of course Master Weasley. Job will fetch food for Master Weasley and his lady friend." Fred set the house elf down and his scurried away.

"Did you know that house elf?" she asked

"They all know me down here." He told her "I've been coming here since I was a first year."

Soon, Job the House Elf returned with a sack full of food.

"There you are Master Weasley." The house elf presented the food to him.

"Thank you Job." Fred said

"No thank you Master Weasley. Job lives to serve." Job said bowing

"Goodbye Job." Sasha told the house elf.

"Goodbye lady friend of Master Weasley." Job said, bowing once again.

"My name is Sasha." Sasha told the house elf.

"Goodbye Miss Sasha." Job said, bowing a third time. Then he hurried off into the kitchen.

Sasha and Fred walked sleepily back to the dormitories. Inside, a party was still in full bloom. Fred entered with his usual grandeur.

"I brought the goods!" He announced and was swarmed by people. Sasha broke off and went to Seamus who was lounging on he couch.

"Have you seen Oliver?" she asked

"Yeah he went to bed about 10 minutes ago. Something about early Quidditch practice." Seamus shrugged. "Mind grabbing me some butterbeer?" he asked Sasha.

The party eventually dulled and everyone retreated to bed. Fred ruffled her hair as he went up and Seamus patted her shoulder. Sasha sat by the fire, deep in thought. Next to her, was a quill and some parchment though neither had been used. Something stirred on the other side of the room causing her to jump.

"Sorry. I thought I was alone." Harry said

"As did I." Sasha told him. For a moment, they both stared at each other, unspeaking. Sasha finally broke the silence.

"You played amazingly today."

"Thanks."

"Were you scared?" she asked

"A bit. I'd never even heard of Quidditch before this year."

"Right. I'd heard you didn't even know wizards existed. Though I couldn't quite believe how someone so influential had no idea what they had done."

"Yeah a lot of people think that." Another silence. This time, Harry broke it.

"What are you writing?"

"A letter." Silence.

"To whom?"

"Well, when I actually do write it, it will be to my parents." Sasha said sadly.

"What's stopping you?" he asked. Sasha didn't answer. Instead she said.

"Do you know the feeling, when so much is expected of you, and you're terrified you'll let everyone down?"

"Yeah. I do." Harry told her quietly. "Though until this year, almost nothing has been expected of me."

"Sounds heavenly." Sasha said

"You would think so. But it doesn't make for good self esteem."

"Neither does constantly letting everyone down." Sasha put her head in her hands.

"I think, the best thing to do, is not care. If you care so much about letting people down, you'll never enjoy life. Focus on being yourself, making friends, and relaxing. Don't stress." Harry told her calmly. By this point, he had moved so he was sitting next to her. Sasha smiled at him lightly.

"You know Harry Potter, for the most famous wizard in the world, you're a pretty nice guy." he smiled

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself."


	8. Chapter 8

_Dear Mother,_

_ Sorry I haven't written much. I've been very busy with my studies. How's father and my brother? I miss you all. My first year at Hogwarts is going wonderfully. I assure you all my classes are going well. Though there is one issue I must discuss. I'm sure you've assumed by this time that I was put into the Slytherin house. It's only natural since every member of our family has. __I regret to inform you__Fortunately__ I was put into Gryffindor. While I fully intended to go into Slytherin, fate had other plans. I've made friends here and I don't mind being a Gryffindor. I actually enjoy it. I know you will be displeased but I suppose it had to happen sometime. Please, don't make a fuss about it, as we both know the decisions of the hat are final. Even if I could switch to Slytherin, I would not. Don't worry about me. We can discuss this more when I return for the holidays._

_Best wishes,_

_Sasha Vogel._

Sasha climbed the large staircase to the owlrey. It wasn't the cleanliest of places but Sasha did have business. Her eagle owl Bristol flew over to her. She tied the letter to his leg and he soared off towards home. She watched him disappear into the sky and descended the staircase. She took her time as the sun was just setting and Hogwarts at sunset was a majestic sight. She arrived late to dinner which earned her a stern look from George.

"Sorry mum." She told him. George grumbled something and returned to his conversation.

That night, Sasha was anxious as to her mother's reaction to the letter. Her mother will have received it by morning. Depending on how angry her mother was, Sasha could receive a response as early as the next night. That night, she and Seamus studied. Well, Seamus studied and Sasha worried.

"Sasha!" he groaned

"What? Sorry I wasn't paying attention." She said

"I know! Ya haven't been all night!" he said.

"I know! I'm sorry. I've got a lot on my mind." She said apologetically

"I know! Somet'ings been botherin' ya. Wha' is it?"

"It's not important Seamus. I'll have dealt with it soon enough."

"Sasha, I'm your best frien.' You can tell me anythin.'" Seamus gave her a small smile. Sasha hugged him.

"I know Seamus. Don't worry about me. Besides, we have a test to study for."

"Sasha, le's face it. We're never gonna pass this test." Seamus laughed.

2 days later, Sasha sat in the great hall at dinner time. Fred and George were discussing the brutality of the days Quidditch practice, while Seamus told Dean some rumor he heard about why Snape never washed his hair, and Parvati and Lavender, as usual, were discussing boys. Sasha was distantly listening to different snips of each of their conversations when the owls flew in. She instantly recognized Bristol. Attached to his leg was a red envelope. Sasha immediately jumped out of her seat.

"What are you doing?" Fred asked

"I-I have to go." Sasha said. She quickly removed the letter from Bristol's leg and rushed out of the hall. She found an empty corridor where no one could hear her. She knew better than to wait to open a Howler. She gently broke the seal and it transformed into an evil looking face.

"SASHA ADRIANNA VOGEL!" it screeched in her mother's nails-on-a-chalkboard-like voice.

"YOU DARE NOT TELL ME YOU WERE NOT PLACED IN SLYTHERIN? NO DAUGHTER OF MINE WILL BE A GRYFFINDOR! IN FACT, YOU MAY AS WELL NOT BE MY DAUGHTER! DON'T THINK FOR A MOMENT I WON'T BE COMING TO HOGWARTS IMMEDIATELY TO SORT THIS MESS OUT! I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE DISAPPOINTED IN MY LIFE! I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHATEVER FRIENDS YOU'VE MADE IN YOUR PATHETIC HOUSE! YOU'VE DISGRACED OUR FAMILY NAME ENOUGH WITHOUT DOING THIS! YOU ARE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I'VE EVER MADE!"

And with that, the letter burst into flames, leaving Sasha alone. She slid down the wall she was leaning against and curled into a ball, sobbing. Suddenly, someone scooped her up and pulled her into a hug.

"Shh. It's okay. You don't deserve that. She didn't know what she was saying."

"Fred?" she sniffed

"Of course. Who else would it be?" he said, smoothing her hair. Sasha threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. For some time, they stayed like that. When she was done, she spoke

"Fred, how did I get so lucky to have a friend like you?"

"You just ran into the right person." He grinned.

When Sasha and Fred returned to the dormitories, Seamus jumped up.

"Where have ya been?" he exclaimed "An'... why are ya crying?" He turned hostilely to Fred

"What did ya do?"

"Oi! I didn't do anything." Fred exclaimed defensively.

"Why was she cryin' then?" Seamus said

"That's none of your business!" Fred growled

"I think it migh' be! She's my bes' friend! I'm tha one who alwa's confortin' 'er when you fight wit' 'er over nothin'!" Seamus yelled

"Seamus..." Sasha said softly.

"No Sasha. 'e 'as no idea 'ow often I 'ave ta deal wit' ya when 'e screws wit' ya!" Seamus was furious

"You have to _deal with me_?" Sasha said meekly.

"No, Sasha. I di'n't mean it like tha'" Seamus stammered. Sasha stormed upstairs to her dorm room.

"Now look what you've done!" Fred shouted. He began to follow Sasha up the stairs but suddenly, they turned into a slide and he slipped down.

"What the-?" Fred hit the bottom with a hard thump.

"Stupid git. Ya can't go into the girl's dormitories." Seamus scoffed

"Well someone has to calm her down after _you _upset her!" Fred told him

"Well the tables 'ave sure turned." Seamus said bitingly.

Fred scanned the room. Various Gryffindors eyed Fred and Seamus who were still standing defensively across from each other. Neither had realized how much of a scene they had created. Fred spotted Lavender and Parvati. They were in the corner on the opposite side of the room but he could tell from the looks on their faces that they had heard the conversation and were thrilled.

"Can you-" he began.

"Already on it." Lavender said. She and Parvati began to make their way up the stairs, giggling as they went.

Sasha sat angrily on her bed. Using her wand, she conjured a small flame that she could toss between her hands.

"Sasha!" Lavender sung as she entered.

"Why do all boys have to be stubborn, big headed jerks?" With each insult, the flame grew steadily bigger. Lavender flicked her wand and the flame disappeared.

"Hey!" Sasha moaned. She threw herself into her pillow.

"Sasha," Parvati said soothingly, sitting on the edge of the bed. "that's how they always are. You can't change them."

"But why can't they get along?" She said

"They try." Lavender told her "For you. Some people just can't get along."

"One day, they will realize how dumb they are being." Parvati said

"Now, I have a whole box of chocolate frogs stashed away somewhere and they aren't going to eat themselves." Lavender purred, putting a strand of hair behind Sasha's ear.

Sasha felt a pang of guilt. Throughout the year she had often dismissed the two as giddy children who gossiped all day. When it came down to it, they were true friends. Before Hogwarts, Sasha had never had loyal friends to stick by her through thick and thin, to fix her hair, to trash talk boys and to eat chocolate frogs with. Before Hogwarts, Sasha hadn't truly felt loved.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is a bit bland. I'm in a bit of a writers block and probably will be until about the 4th book. Sorry everyone. I do have some ideas for the next chapter though so that will be more interesting. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Your input helps me sooooo much!**

Sasha had to drag herself out of bed the next morning. It was the first day since she had gotten to Hogwarts that she had woken up dreading seeing Fred and Seamus. Luckily, Parvati and Lavender were still in full on BFF mode and walked down to breakfast with her, talking mostly about light topics and keeping the conversation far away from boys. Sasha smiled as she realized what a sacrifice this was for them. They were a bit late so the hall was quite full. Sasha was relieved to see there were no seats available. She felt a pang of sadness as she thought of how Seamus and Fred used to make room for her when she was late, either by force or persuading someone to move. She, Lavender, and Parvati took seats at the opposite end and Sasha tried with all her might to look as though she was enjoying herself. Occasionally, she had to remind herself why she was even mad at them. Though Fred had been incredibly and uncharacteristically sweet, he had ruined it by fighting with Seamus. And though Seamus only started fighting with Fred because he was concerned for Sasha, he was fully aware of how much she hated them fighting. This was the worst fight they had had so far. Other than last night, it had never escalated to more than a few snide remarks from both parties (but mostly Fred as he was the cleverer of the two). Sasha tried for the rest of the day to ignore them as best she could. After all her classes were over, she went to the library to study alone without Seamus, but when she saw Hermione, she realized she needed the company.

"Hey Hermione." She said pleasantly

"Oh hi Sasha. I heard what happened yesterday. I'm very sorry." Hermione said gently. Sasha gave a small laugh.

"They're boys. They fight I guess." She sighed "I suppose I'll forgive them...when they ask. That's the trouble with your best friends being stubborn. Sometimes when we fight, I fear they'll never apologize, and I'll never forgive them."

"Sometimes I feel the same way. Harry's a nice guy, but Ron is so exasperating." Hermione said "Though, at least you want to forgive Seamus and Fred. I'd have no problem never having to deal with Ron again." She huffed.

"You say that now. Give it a few years." Sasha told her

"Yeah right."

"By our 7th year, you won't be able to imagine life without him." Sasha giggled

"Yeah and I'll ride dragons." Hermione let out a loud laugh, then quieted herself.

"Hey, we've got 6 years. Anything could happen."

When Sasha left the library, she realized that Quidditch practice was just getting out, and she tried to rush to avoid meeting a certain redhead she was currently avoiding. Unfortunately, he caught her on the stairs. She was a flight above him, but he called to her anyways.

"Sasha!" he yelled. She kept walking.

"Sasha stop avoiding me! I need to talk to you!" he yelled again

"Why Fred? So you can tell me how it's all Seamus' fault? How he started it?" she called back. That was how he was. He took the easy way out. He couldn't admit that he had done something wrong. So his next response caught her off guard.

"It's my fault Sasha. I know you don't even think I know how to say that, but I do. I don't like to say it, but I will when I'm at fault and when it'll make my best friend stop hating me. Seamus had no idea what you were going through, but I did. And I still went at it with him because I let my anger get the best of me. That wasn't fair to you, and it sure as hell wasn't fair to him, since we both know I can destroy him in a fight." As he said this, Fred had climbed the stairs so he now stood only a few steps below her. He still wore his practice outfit for Quidditch and he was covered in dirt and sweat. Sasha stared at him for some time. Finally, she spoke

"You look disgusting."

"I've been looking for you since practice ended. I really couldn't stand it anymore. Please forgive me." He looked at her. His eyes wide, lips pouting, Sasha could hardly resist.

"Fred Weasley, are you asking someone for forgiveness? Have I stepped into an alternate reality?" Fred broke into a grin.

"I knew you'd forgive me. You've said it a million times. You can't say no to this face." Sasha sighed dramatically.

"Aww, come here." He said playfully opening his arms. Sasha shrieked in protest.

"Fred! Fred, no!" she attempted to run but he pulled her into his Quidditch worn arms.

"Ew!" she groaned.

"This is why were friends." He smiled.

The next few days were considerably better since she and Fred were friends again. It was like the dark cloud that had shrouded her had opened up and let in a few beams of light. Seamus though, had not spoken to her since. In fact, Sasha was starting to fell _he_ was mad at _her_.

"It doesn't make sense!" she told Fred "I've done nothing wrong."

"He's not worth your time." He told her absentmindedly at dinner. Sasha once again glanced down the table at Seamus, sitting with Dean.

"Stop that." George said "It's not helping and you look pathetic."

"It's not like he's an ex-boyfriend." She told him "He is-or was my best friend." Fred pointedly cleared his throat

"Other than you." She snapped

"Did you ever think that it's not you he's mad at?" George asked

"Who else would he be mad at?" Sasha asked

"Are you daft?" asked Lee "How about the guy you've been inseparable with for the past 3 days? How about the one guy that actually started the fight?" Sasha felt like an idiot. Seamus wasn't mad at her, he was mad at Fred and he didn't want to approach her when she was with Fred.

"How did I not realize that?" she groaned

"You've been busy." Fred shrugged. He had returned to his normal, insensitive, thick self since his apology on the staircase but that was the Fred Sasha knew and loved. Luckily, Fred had Quidditch practice that night which would give Sasha a prime opportunity to talk to Seamus.

"You don't need him." Fred groaned that night as she sat in his dorm. He was getting ready for Quidditch practice.

"I do though." Sasha said "Fred, you're great but you're not Seamus. I need to talk this out with him."

"Tonight?" Fred asked "Hand me that shirt."

"Of course. I want to deal with this as soon as possible." She tossed him the shirt.

"But what if something goes wrong? I won't be here." He said as he pulled his Quidditch practice jersey on.

"What could possibly go wrong?" Sasha said.

"I dunno! What if he doesn't want to apologize? Where are my socks?" Fred told her

"He wants to. I know he does." She leaned across his bed and looked under it. "Found them." She pulled them out.

"Ah! What would I do without you? I just don't want you to get hurt." He took the socks.

"Fred, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm a big girl." Sasha told him gently.

"I know you are." He pinched her cheek. "And now I'm late for practice."

"Fred?" Sasha said as he begin to leave "Unless you're trying to get brain damage, I suggest you take this Mr. Beater." She pulled his helmet off the floor and put it on her head.

"Always looking out for me." He grinned and picked it up off her head.

Sasha stared at her potions book but she wasn't really getting anything out of it. She had been reading the same sentence for 10 minutes when Seamus walked in with Dean and some girls. Sasha caught his eye. He glanced around the room, obviously looking for Fred. He whispered something to Dean and approached her.

"Weasley aroun'?" Seamus asked

"No."

"Can I sit?"

"Yeah." He sat across from her. She tried to look focused on her book.

"Potions?"

"Yep."

"Snape's a tough teacher, ain't 'e?" Seamus said, absentmindedly clasping and unclasping his hands.

"Yeah." Sasha stared down. She had wanted to talk to Seamus, but she had no idea what to say.

"I'm sorry." He said "I'm sorry for being a jerk, I'm sorry for fighting with Fred, I'm sorry for not apologizing sooner!"

"I can hardly be mad." Sasha admitted "The past few days, I've been spending every free second with Fred and I should've realized how that would've looked. I wasn't choosing him over you. I'm not choosing anyone."

"I know. I don' like Weasley, but I'll put up wit' 'im, if I have to, so we can stay frien's."

Sasha smiled. Her best friends were her friends again, and all was right in the world.

**Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: So hopefully everyone will like this chapter, it's very long compared to the rest of mine. I did finish it last night but I forgot to save and my computer died so I rewrote it today. I hope it's still as good. I don't really like her letter to Fred but I think I finished it well. Please review everyone. More reviews = more updates!**

The holidays were drawing closer and closer and Sasha was dreading them every second. There were only 2 weeks until she returned to her house where her parents and brother would undoubtedly be waiting to shoot her cold glares and talk about her behind closed doors.

"You could stay with us. It's a bit crowded at my house but at least you wouldn't be home." Fred told her one night.

It had been a week since she had gotten her howler and she had been desperately trying to think of a way to get out of going home for the holidays.

"That's a great idea but I couldn't impose." Sasha sighed.

"You wouldn't be-" Before Fred could finish his sentence, Professor McGonagall walked in.

"Sasha Vogel." She said in her official sounding voice. "The Headmaster wishes to have a word with you."

Sasha eyes got wide as she stood. Fred raised an eyebrow and she shrugged back at him. She followed McGonagall from the room. Seamus, who had been sitting near the fire, jumped up, as if in protest but Sasha quickly waved her hand at him, telling him to sit. She followed the Professor's quick pace through the halls.

"Professor, do you know why I've been summoned to the Headmaster's office?"

"You'll see when you get there." McGonagall told her. She approached the gargoyle and spoke the password so it moved.

"Right up the stairs" She told Sasha. Sasha stepped in and the gargoyle closed behind her. Sasha slowly began to climb the stairs. She tried to fathom why Dumbledore would need to see her. She entered his office and saw him sitting at his desk patiently listening to whoever sat in front of him. Fine golden blonde hair, thin figure, pale skin, Sasha recognized her immediately.

"Hello Sasha." Her mother said curtly "Albus and I were just discussing the unfortunate matter of your sorting."

"I thought it would be best if you attended this, parent teacher meeting." Dumbledore told her.

"I don't understand why. Just put her in Slytherin where she belongs and I'll be on my way." Mrs. Vogel told Dumbledore.

"Jaqueline, I'm sure you are well aware that even if I wanted to, I could not put Sasha in Slytherin. I'd have hoards of parents beating down my door trying to put their kids into the houses they were put into. The hat doesn't take family into account. Some families happen to share traits which is why many families stay mainly in one house. You should be proud that your daughter is a courageous Gryffindor."

"Albus you and I both know that I do not care for the Gryffindor house. If I hadn't been present at her birth, I wouldn't even be sure she is a Vogel."

"Have you asked your daughter how she'd feel about being put into Slytherin?" Dumbledore asked. Sasha's mother opened then closed mouth.

"Well I-"

"I don't want to go into Slytherin." Sasha spoke up. Her mother shot her a look full of fury. "I really like all the friends I made. I love Gryffindor. I don't want any other house."

"It seems like your daughter has made up her mind." Dumbledore said. "There's a fireplace and some floo powder over there if you like."

Sasha's mother sat for a moment, awestruck. She stammered a bit. Dumbledore held her gaze. Finally, she collected herself and stood.

"I'm sorry it had to be that way. Albus." She gave him a curt nod. She turned to Sasha and gave her a look Sasha knew too well. It was the "We'll discuss this later" look. Sasha was taken back to the hundred times in her childhood when she would do something wrong when an important person was over. Her mother, playing the gracious hostess, would laugh good heartedly and say

"Kids, what can you do?" and continue with her conversation. Later, Sasha's mother would send her to her room for the rest of the night. Sasha's mother never yelled, instead she spoke in this deathly cold voice that scared Sasha to death. She knew that she would once again hear that voice when she went back to her house in just 2 weeks.

"Well, that was fun." Dumbledore said.

"I'm terribly sorry for my mother." Sasha blushed.

"I've dealt with more persistent mothers before." Dumbledore said. "I'm sure you want to return to your friends."

"Yes sir. Very much." Sasha turned to leave, then a thought occurred to her. "You could've put me into Slytherin. Couldn't you?"

"I could have. If I had thought that you belonged there." He said.

"Thank you." Sasha said. She grinned as she left. She knew her mother would have a fit, her father would scowl and her brother would lecture her but they couldn't take her friends away.

When Sasha returned there was still a fair amount of people left in the common room. Fred was still sitting where they had been when she had left. She went back to her seat and let out a huge sigh.

"Rough night?" Fred asked

"You'll never guess who was in Dumbledore's office!" She told him

"I don't know." He said. "Merlin?"

"Funny. No, my mother."

"Is that some sort of lame overused joke?" He asked

"No, she was really there! She was petitioning Dumbledore to change my house."

"What?" Fred shouted. "She can't do that! You're a Gryffindor! Where is she? I'll tell her she has no right to do that!"

"Don't worry. Dumbledore wouldn't let her." Sasha said.

"I love that man." Fred let out a breath.

"I still have to deal with my mother in 2 weeks though."

"You can stay at my house! My mum would love to have another girl around!" Fred exclaimed.

"I can't hide from my family forever. I have to go home eventually."

"I guess so." Fred said quietly.

"I'll write you. Don't worry." I told him gently.

"I know you will."

Two weeks later I was packing my trunk and boarding the Hogwarts Express. I sat with Seamus, Lavender, and Parvati the first half and Fred, George, and Lee the second. She figured it was becoming a pattern. She didn't talk much though. On occasion, Fred would look over and pat her shoulder or offer some other sort of non verbal condolence. Then the train ride was over. She exited the train. Fred carried her trunk for her, though she told him not to. Her mother stood silently on the platform, rigid. Sasha turned to Fred.

"I'll take my trunk now." She told him.

"Just let me talk to her." He said. His face was hard, almost angry.

"No, Fred. Just-"

"You're going to be all alone in a house with her for a week! If she...if she... I don't know. I just want to talk to her." His hands gripped her trunk harshly. She touched his hand.

"I'll be fine." She mimicked his signature grin. He returned it.

"Write me the second you get home?" He questioned.

"Of course." She hugged him. He let go of her trunk and she carried it the rest of the way. Perhaps if Sasha had been sorted into Slytherin and her mother didn't hate her, her mother would've asked her who the boy was. But Sasha had been sorted into Gryffindor and her mother couldn't stand her. So her mother turned and exited Platform 9 3/4 without a single word to her daughter.

The Vogel house was no mansion, but it was prestigious nonetheless. To Sasha, it had a cold deserted feel to it. Other houses, she assumed at least had some sort of personal touch to them but Sasha's did not. She walked in the door and into the entrance room. It had been months since she had been home but she still remembered it. There was a hallway leading to either the living room, the dining room or the basement. The basement was actually the kitchen but because her family had a house elf, no one really went down there. Up the stairs were her parent's room, her brother's room for when he actually stayed there, and her room. As far as she was concerned, those were the only rooms in the house. There were plenty others, but Sasha hardly ventured into them. The house had never felt like home to Sasha. It wasn't Hogwarts. She went into her room and put her trunk down. Her room did have more personal touches than the rest of her house. On her desk was a piece of paper she had been doodling on before she left for Hogwarts. There was a picture of her and her brother as children. He was ginning smugly and she was sticking her tongue out at him. She looked above her bed, where a Slytherin banner hung. She waved her wand and it transformed the banner into a Gryffindor one. She smiled. There was a noise at her window. She turned to see an owl pecking at it. She opened it and a letter dropped in. She opened it.

_Dear Sasha,_

_Are you home yet? You haven't written me! Life here is crazy as usual. Ron decided to stay at Hogwarts, so I suppose that makes it a bit quieter. Though I will admit that George and I are usually the ones making the noise. I wonder what it's like around here when we're not here. I guess I'll never know. Nothing's new here, Percy's a prat, Ginny's mommy's little girl, not much to report. How are you there? Still alive? Just tell me if I need to go down there and talk to anyone. I guess I don't have much more to say. Write me back this instant young lady!_

_Fred_

Sasha smiled. She hadn't been in the house 5 minutes and Fred had written her. She quickly wrote back.

_Dear Fred,_

_I literally just walked in the door! I honestly don't know how you do it. I never really noticed how boring my room is. Do you have any paint I can splatter around? I'm kidding. With you I can never be too sure. I might open your next letter to have it explode like some sort of paint bomb! And now I'm giving you ideas... Crap. Seriously though, I need something for this room. My mother hasn't spoken a word to me yet and who knows where my father and brother are. This next week is going to be quite horrible, I can tell. I hope all is well with you though._

_Sasha_

_P.S. Oh! Tell George I say hello. I'm sure he's thrilled to have you all to himself._

Sasha gave the letter to the owl who had delivered the one from Fred and he flew off. She decided to write one to Seamus but as she searched for a piece of parchment, there was a loud crack. The family house elf, Nook stood in her room.

"Dinner is ready Miss Sasha." He said and with another crack he was gone. She decided she'd write him one after dinner. She quickly changed out of the clothes she had been traveling in and went downstairs. Her mother, father, and brother Robert were all at the table.

"Hello Sasha." Her brother said politely.

"Hey Rob." She gave him a small smile but it was not returned. She sat down in her usual chair. The table was rather big and she always felt uncomfortable when only four people were sitting there. With a crack, the dinner appeared before them, courtesy of Nook. She ate quietly while the rest of the family talked.

"So Robert, how's work?" Her mother asked.

"It's going well. We had that trial today I have been talking about." He began. Robert worked for the Wizengamot. Technically, he worked in the Administration Offices, but he still felt a false sense of power nonetheless. After some time, her father spoke.

"Sasha, how is school going?" Her mother tensed. Sasha looked around, thinking it was some sort of trap.

"Um, it's going well I suppose" Her father looked at her expectantly. "I've been doing well in all my classes. I've actually mastered quiet a few spells."

"Perhaps you can show me later." He father told her.

"Yes, of course!" Sasha said happily. Her father, while not as cold and unloving as her mother, was a rather official man who had hardly ever bothered himself with Sasha. He had bought her whatever she wanted and never yelled at her, but he had never shown much kindness either.

"Harold, you're much to busy with work and such to worry about Sasha's silly schoolwork." Her mother said. Sasha could tell by the un naturally calm tone of her voice that her mother was on the brink of fury.

"Nonsense. If she's going to be away for most of the year at school, I'd like to hear about it." Her father told her mother, clearly unaware of the danger he was getting into.

"Robert, Sasha, go to your rooms." Her mother commanded. Neither dare disobey. As she walked upstairs Robert whispered

"Now look what you've done." Then he turned to his room and shut the door. Sasha though, wanted to hear what her parents had to say. She quietly sat on the top step of the stairs and peered into the dining room.

"I cannot believe you Harold!" Her mother said.

"What? Am I not allowed to talk to our daughter?" He asked.

"She was sorted into Gryffindor!" He mother hissed.

"Yes, I am aware but there isn't a thing we can do about it. Treating her like an outcast in her own family won't solve anything Jaqueline!" Her father told her mother.

Her mother buried her face in her hands.

"How did this happen? We raised her her whole life telling her that she would be in Slytherin and now, this?"

"Some things are out of our control." Her father said comfortingly.

"My whole life I have treated Gryffindors like scum. Now I have one in my own house?" She sobbed.

"She's still the same girl that boarded the train in September." Suddenly, her mother sat up straight, composure regained.

"Of course I know that, though my view of her is changed. I simply can't treat her the same." She said

"Jaqueline..." Her father began.

"That's enough Harold. Don't you have work to do?" And that was the end of it. Her mother strode out of the room. Her father let out a sigh and went into his study. Sasha let out a groan and went into her room. She flopped onto the bed and did some heavy breathing. A few moment later, there was a knock at the window. The owl was back. This time, he was carrying some sort of package. She opened it and a letter fell out.

_Sasha,_

_I'm terribly sorry to hear about your family. I do hope it'll get better:). Thanks for the paint bomb idea though! I told George and he suggests we try it out. We're planning on sending one to Percy sometime this week. As for your room, I did enclose something to make you feel better, I hope. George misses you, though he will hardly admit it! I do too though, in case you were wondering. My mother is thrilled to meet you I must say. She said you must visit this summer. George and I don't have many female friends. I don't know why, but they hardly stick around after we prank them which is so weird. We've pranked you more than a few times. Ginny says we could use another girl around the house. I would like to write more, but mum's saying George and I have to de gnome the garden. What fun._

_Fred_

Sasha turned to the package. She reached inside and pulled out a flat, square object. It was a picture frame. Sasha smiled, recognizing the picture. Lavender, had wanted Sasha to pose for a picture, so Sasha had turned and smiled but right as she clicked the shutter, Fred ran over and threw Sasha over his shoulder. She screamed and kicked him and he laughed the entire time. The moving picture in her hands showed her smiling, then Fred running over and scooping her up. After a moment, Sasha gives up fighting with him and turns and gives the camera a resigned smile. Fred is grinning is stupid grin the entire time. Sasha smiles and puts the picture on the nightstand next to her bed. She lies down and stares at the photo and before she knows it, she's fallen asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: New chapter. I am exhausted so don't make my work be in vain, review! Also, does anyone know a synonym for compartment? I'm getting horribly sick of that word.**

The week continued to go slowly. She kept correspondence with Fred and Seamus daily, along with a good amount of letters to Parvati and Lavender. She even sent a few to George. When her father returned from work, it wasn't too bad. She would sit in his office and help with his work. Sometimes even Rob would sit with the while he worked. Her mother, on the other hand, remained shrouded in a veil of cold disinterest. One night, as she sat reading in the living room, Rob walked in. For a while, he was silent, writing something for work. Then he looked up.

"Mum and Dad used to talk." He said.

"What?" She asked.

"They used to have conversations. Sometimes, she'd even laugh." He told her.

"And then I came along and screwed it all up." Sasha sighed.

"They fought before you were born and they'll fight when you're back at school." He said. She went back to her book, but something was nagging her now.

"Remember when we used to get along?" She asked.

"Yes." He chuckled "We would drive mum and dad mad."

"And we used to go to the beach! But you scared me and told me that if I went in the water, sharks would bite my toes off!"

"And you cried and cried when dad tried to get you to go in. He ended up throwing you in, and once you realized there were no sharks, you wouldn't get out." She laughed thinking of that day. That was the day the picture in her room had been taken.

"What happened? We used to have such fun!" Sasha asked him.

"Dad got a promotion, so he was never home. I guess that's when he and mum...stopped, you know."

"Loving each other?"

"Yeah."

"What about us? We used to be friends." She said.

"I dunno." He said guiltily. "I went to Hogwarts, made friends, I guess I thought I was too cool or something."

"Yeah no one wants to hang around their kid sister all the time." Sasha said.

"I feel bad." He said "Mum and Dad were going through a rough time, and I left you all alone. It must've been horrible."

"I got used to it. At least I'm at Hogwarts now, and you don't even live here half the time." Her brother only stayed at her parents house for the holidays and sometimes not even then. He had an apartment in London where he preferred to spend his time.

"Now they're stuck with each other..." He said, deep in thought.

"I wonder if their relationship will last. After we're gone." Sasha said pensively.

"Only time will tell." Rob said. Sasha sat quietly, digesting what her brother had said. It wasn't like she hadn't know all of that, but no one had ever voiced it before. It was like something she had always hid in the back of her mind with little acknowledgement and suddenly, it was thrown in front of her face. Her brother put his hand on her shoulder. It wasn't much, but since they hadn't even said more than 20 words to each other in at least 5 years, the gesture meant a lot.

Soon, it was finally time to go home. Sasha couldn't exactly say she would miss the place. If anything, she would miss her room which she had spent much of the week decorating. It now looked like a cozy little sanctuary away from the scarily neat house. The only other place Sasha didn't feel completely uncomfortable in was her father's study. The smell of old books and leather chairs calmed her, and the sound of her father writing, quill against parchment was soothing. There was a large window behind his desk that towards the end of the day, bathed the room in a warm rosy glow. Sasha gave her room a final once over. She considered taking the picture of she and Fred, but in the end she decided not to. There was no point in taking the picture when in a few hours she'd see the real thing. She did however, take the picture of she and her brother. Since their talk, she and Rob had become a bit closer since their chat. Sasha descended the stairs. Her family stood waiting. Her father gave her a brief hug.

"It was good seeing you again." He leaned down to whisper to her. "Don't let your mother get to you. She means well."

"I doubt it, but thank you." Sasha said with a smile. Then she turned to Rob.

"Need help with your trunk?" He asked.

"No, I'm ok." Sasha said.

"Don't be a stranger. Write me. I'll miss you." He said. Sasha was a bit shocked.

"I-I will. I'll write you! I'll miss you too!" She said excitedly.

"Okay come one, let's go." Her mother snapped.

Sasha was overly thrilled to be on platform 9 3/4. Unlike the first time she had been here, she hardly felt overwhelmed. This time, she saw many familiar faces and was greeted by many. She turned to her mother.

"I guess I'll be leaving." She said weakly.

"I guess so." Her mother said. Sasha looked at her expectantly. "Don't get yourself into trouble. I'm done dealing with all this." Sasha sighed, it was too much to ask that her mother would forgive her. Any sad thoughts Sasha had were immediately washed away when she spotted Seamus. She ran over to him.

"Seamus!" She squealed.

"Sasha!" He said "I missed ya!" She hugged him.

"I missed you too!" She linked arms with him as they walked towards the train. She and Seamus entered an empty compartment and a few moments later, she heard girlish squeals.

"Sasha!" Lavender yelped as she rushed into the compartment.

"Lavender!" Sasha exclaimed. They hugged. Next was Parvati who greeted her with equal enthusiasm. They all immediately began gossiping about the past week.

"Um, t'anks Lavender, Parvati." Seamus said.

"Oh Seamus we missed you too." Lavender said hugging him.

"Where's Dean? I need to be aroun' real frien's." He groaned.

"Aww Seamus, you know we love you." Parvati laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He said.

A while later, Sasha walked down the train searching for Fred and George's compartment. She spotted Angelina Johnson, who was known to hang around them.

"Hi, Angelina right?" Sasha asked.

"Yeah. You're Fred and George's friend Sasha." She said, looking Sasha over.

"That's right. I was looking for their compartment."

"Oh yeah, it's just right down there." Angelina said.

"Thanks." Sasha smiled and walked over to the compartment. She began to walk down to where Angelina had pointed but someone stepped at a compartment right in front of her. It was Oliver Wood.

"Hey!" He said. "Is your owl sick?"

"What?" Sasha asked. "Is that some kind of dumb pick up line?"

"No. I assumed it must be since I didn't receive a single letter from you all week."

"Oh Oliver I'm so sorry! I didn't even think to write you!'

"It's fine." He laughed. "How was your week?"

"I don't even want to talk about it." She groaned.

"Hey, I'm hear to listen." He said.

"Maybe another time."

"Well, my compartment's right here. Want to sit for a while?" Sasha was incredibly tempted to sit with him. He was a very attractive and an older guy, but she really did miss the twins.

"I'm sorry Oliver. I would but..." She glanced down the hallway.

"I get it. Gotta go see your boys." Sasha detected a hint of resentment in his voice.

"I'm sorry. We can hang out when we get to Hogwarts." She said.

"Yeah ok whatever." He turned and went back into his compartment. Sasha thought for a moment. Had he come out of his compartment to talk to her? She thought he had just happened to stumble into her but now it seemed as though he had purposely bumped into her. She decided not to think too much about it. She reached the boy's compartment and knocked on the window. The twins looked up and grinned. Before she opened the door, she took a guess as to which one was Fred and which one was George.

"Left is George. Right is Fred." She said to herself just as she opened the door.

"You're late!" Said the left twin.

"Here he goes." Said the right.

"Okay. I was wrong." Sasha said to herself. The left was clearly Fred.

"Where were you?" He asked.

"Oh I was just talking to someone." She said with a slight smile. George went back to talking to Lee but Fred raised an eyebrow suspiciously. She shrugged at him. Fred nudged George and he moved to sit next to Lee, clearing the seat for Sasha. She sat down.

"How was it?" He asked.

"What? My week in Hell? Surprisingly, not as hellish as I thought it would be."

"Really?" Sasha had tried not to spend a lot of time complaining in her letters, so Fred was slightly oblivious to how her week had been.

"Well, my mother was, herself. But my father and brother were uncharacteristically kind." She told him.

"That's good right?"

"Well, yeah. My dad at least feigned an interest in my schoolwork and let me help him with his work."

"At least you had someone on your side."

"Yeah it was so odd. He stood up for me the first night at dinner." Fred grinned.

"That makes me feel so much better. I was afraid you'd be completely alone in your own house."

"No and Rob and I even had a bonding moment I guess."

"How so?"

"We just started talking about how things used to be and, I don't know he started apologizing for abandoning me I guess. He told me to write him. I feel like we left some stuff unsaid. I don't even know what to say to him though!" She let out a light laugh. Fred stared at her then suddenly, enveloped her in a hug. She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let go.

"Fred! Let go!" She squealed. Finally, he pulled away.

"What was that for?" She asked.

"You go through a lot. You needed it." He smiled at her but for once it wasn't his winning smile, it was a genuine sweet smile. She smiled back.

"Stop the love fest!" Lee groaned. He threw some Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans at them.

"Bugger off!" Fred said. He jumped up and tackled Lee. Sasha laughed as Fred attacked him.

"What? Feeling left out?" Said George and he pulled her into the mess. Sasha laughed and smacked him, trying to get away. Despite the fact she was getting "beat up". Sasha felt incredibly optimistic about returning to Hogwarts.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: So here's a new chapter. I think it might be the longest one I've written so far. The first year is finally done! The next few chapters are going to go by pretty fast so be prepared. As a special treat, I threw in some of Fred's Point of View. I'm hoping to do some different POVs in coming chapters. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. And tell your friends. Thanks everyone for being great readers!**

Sasha had nothing more to fear, since she had dealt with her family. Life was more or less the same and Sasha could honestly say she loved it. She had survived Snape's potions classes, numerous explosions courtesy of Seamus, Fred and George's pranks, and the whole experience of Hogwarts in general. There was only a short amount of time before Sasha was returning to her parent's house. She entered the Great hall, which was decorated in Slytherin colors. She sighed.

"Sasha! Did you hear?" Fred called. She sat down next to him.

"Harry, Ron, an' Hermione went into the forbidden 3rd floor corridor!" Seamus interjected. Fred gave him an angry look but thankfully, didn't comment.

"What?" She asked.

"It's true!" Lavender said taking a seat. "Parvati was up in the hospital wing because she ate some bad shellfish or something. Anyways, she took a break from puking her guts out long enough to see them bring Harry in. He was pretty beat up I suppose."

"They called Fred, Percy, and I up to the Hospital wing to see Ron. He looked like he'd been run over by a pack of centaurs." George said.

"He wasn't as bad as Harry though. He's still in the Hospital Wing." As Lavender said this, Harry entered the Great Hall. He took his seat with Ron and Hermione. He was greeted by the various Gryffindors.

"Hey Harry, how are you feeling?" Sasha asked.

"Alright." He told her. "Too bad we couldn't win the cup though."

"It doesn't really matter." Sasha shrugged. "At least you're okay."

Dumbledore stood at the front of the Great Hall to make a speech. The Hall quieted.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully you heads are all a little fuller than they were you have the whole summer ahead of get them nice and empty before next year starts...

Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."

The Slytherin's broke into cheers.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

The Slytherins groaned.

"Just give us the award!" Someone called.

"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes first - to Mr. Ronald Weasley..."

"Yeah Ron!" Called Fred and George.

"...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years. I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Now it was the Gryffindor's turn to cheer.

"Second - to Miss Hermione Granger...for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

More cheers.

"Third - to Mr. Harry Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "...for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."

"That means we're tied with Slytherin!" Sasha said to no one in particular.

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Suddenly, the Gryffindors went crazy.

"Which means, we need a little change of decoration." Dumbledore clapped and the Slytherin banners changed to Gryffindor. Sasha jumped up and hugged Neville.

"We finally beat Slytherin!" Fred yelled.

"Of course we did, we're much better looking anyways." George proclaimed. The feast appeared and they began eating with vigor.

"Fred, everyone has been packed for weeks. How is it you're the only person in the entire school who waits until an hour before the train leaves to pack?" Sasha laughed.

"Shut up and help me or we'll be trapped here all summer!" He said as he grabbed a handful of clothes and shoved them into his trunk.

"I think that's everything." He said.

"Really?" She asked. She was sitting on top of his bed, which had been stripped of it's sheets. She pointed down and raised her eyebrows. He dropped onto his stomach and looked under the bed. He pulled out a pile of clothes, candy wrappers, Quidditch gear, and even a few fireworks. She picked up a firework.

"You wouldn't want to forget these."

"Oh bullocks I wish I had these last month!" He said. He had that look in his eyes he got when he was thinking of a new prank.

"Fred there's really no time for that! Close your trunk, we have to go!"

"Alright, alright." He groaned.

It was close, but Sasha and Fred made the train with seconds to spare. She made her way to her usual compartment. They said the usual, goodbye, I'll miss you, I'll write everyday, etc. They talked about Harry and what had happened with him, and how they had finally won the House Cup. Then she made her way towards where she knew The Twins and Lee would be. Again, she was intercepted by Oliver.

"Hey!" He said. They had spoken a good number of times in the past months. He had even helped her study on numerous occasions, especially for potions, where she needed a bit of help.

"Hey I got my grades back! I passed Potions, thanks to you." She smiled.

"No problem, that's what I'm here for. Though I should be getting extra credit for helping a first year with her studies."

"Soon to be second year." He reminded him with a shove.

"Oh sorry, my bad." He laughed. "So do you plan on ignoring me this summer like you did over the holidays?"

"Maybe, depends on how bored I get I suppose." Oliver gave her a fake look of shock.

"I'm hurt! I thought we were friends."

"I'm joking Oliver. Don't worry, I'll write you." She said.

"Alright, have a good summer."

"You too." They hugged and she went to the twins compartment. Before she could get there, she was stopped once again, this time by Lavender.

"So, I go to the bathroom and when I walk out into the halls, what do I find? You all cuddled up with a 5th year boy! Are the 3rd years you already have wrapped around your finger not enough?"

"Shut up Lav! He's just a friend."

"Oh, I'm sure Sasha." Lavender joking.

"I've got to go."

"Off to another bunch of boys you manipulate?" Lavender giggled.

"You are so annoying! Why are we even friends?" Sasha laughed.

"Because I'm so fabulous and amazing." Lavender said dramatically, flipping her hair.

"Of course. I forgot."

"Well, don't forget again!" Lavender playfully punched her. "Now go find your boys."

Sasha stood at the compartment door, looking in. One of the twins was chasing a chocolate frog while the other laughed. Lee was opening a Fizzing Whizzbee. Sasha decided the twin with the chocolate frog was George. She opened the door.

"George stop being such a git and grab the frog! Oh hey Sash." Said the laughing twin. She mentally patted herself on the back for getting their names right.

"Excited to be going home?" Lee asked.

"Thrilled." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Hand me some candy George." He handed her a chocolate frog and she popped it into her mouth before it could hop away. She thought about going back to her house and seeing her parents, specifically her mom. She suddenly felt exhausted, like someone dropped a huge weight on her. The word home made her feel so...uncomfortable. Things had gotten better, but compared to Hogwarts, it was the farthest thing from home. The boys went into a conversation about Quidditch and for a few minutes, Sasha tried to focus but eventually she decided to just listen. For some reason, she found their voices really soothing, and the way George said bludger made her feel so relaxed...

"Wake up already Sasha!" Sasha startled awake. Fred was standing over.

"I've been trying to wake you for like 10 minutes!" She jumped up, dizzy from sleep, she stumbled a bit. He grabbed her to steady her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. We're at the Platform?"

"Yeah."

"My mom's out there?"

"Yeah."

"Can't I just stay here and sleep a little longer?"

"Nope." She looked at him for a moment.

"Yes." She said and flopped back down.

"No, Sasha. No you can't-Ok. Listen, We have to go. I don't even know what they do with this train when it's not going to and from Hogwarts but we have to get off it!" Sasha mumbled something drowsily.

"Can you just-" He sighed. He looked around for some help but the train was empty. He looked at Sasha's sleeping body.

"Sorry Sash." He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Did someone slip you a sleeping potion?" He asked. He hauled her and both of their trunks off the train. He looked around but didn't see her mother anywhere.

"Is that...Sasha?" A voice said. He turned to see a man, in his twenties. He had blonde hair that fell just above his eyebrows and the makings of a beard. His eyes, unlike Sasha's, were brown.

"You Rob?" Fred asked.

"Yeah. Um..." He pointed to his sister.

"Oh right, this is yours." Fred handed Sasha to her brother.

"Why is she passed out?" Rob asked tentatively.

"Not sure. I think someone might have slipped her a sleeping potion. I'm thinking it was my twin brother. So if you see a guy that looks just like me, but isn't me, it's him."

"Um, yeah ok mate. Thanks for dropping her off, um...?"

"Fred. Fred Weasley." He extended his hand and Rob shifted Sasha so he could shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you, I guess." Rob told him.

Fred caught up with his family. His mother was busily fussing over Ron. Fred ruffled Ginny's hair and turned to his twin.

"Where have you been?" George asked.

"With Sasha. _Someone _slipped her a sleeping potion." Fred told him. George laughed.

"That was classic. Put it in the chocolate frog." Fred shoved him.

"I had to carry her off the train! I had to hand deliver her to her brother! That was probably the most awkward conversation of my life!" George broke out into hysterics.

"This turned out even better than I thought!" He said, gasping for breath.

"Sod off okay?" Fred growled.

"Hey, cool it. It's a prank. If it had been on anyone else, you would've been laughing with me the whole time."

"But it wasn't okay? And I was the one who had to take care of her."

"You didn't care any other time we pranked her! What changed?" _What changed? _The words rang in Fred's head. What had changed?

"I dunno George. I just don't."

1 Month Later

"Truth or Dare Rob?" Sasha was splayed across the old beaten armchair in Rob's living room. The room, in fact the house itself, was stacked with wall to wall books and paper. The smell often reminded her of a library. Rob did a lot of paperwork and it was always lying around. Sasha always had to watch her movements in Rob's house because chances were there was an open bottle of ink lying under a stack of papers. Still, she loved the apartment even though it was small and cramped and the temperature was often uncomfortable.

"Um truth." He said, not even bothering to look up from his stack of paperwork.

"Truth. Hmm, do you think the girl across the hall is pretty?" Sasha asked. Sasha had often seen Rob glancing at her in the elevator. She was an artist named Marie who had thick wavy black hair which she tied back with colorful ribbons.

"Never mind. Dare." Rob answered.

"Okay. I dare you to ask Marie out." Rob put down his quill and looked up at her.

"Do you want me to send you back to mum and dad's?" He threatened. He knew that Sasha hated staying there, which was why Sasha spent much of the summer at his apartment, though he was often at work which meant she had to stay home. Rob tried though, to work from home so Sasha could get out of her parent's house.

"No!" She exclaimed.

"Then drop the Marie issue."

"So it's an issue now? Rob's got a girlfriend! Rob's got a girlfriend!" She sung.

"Shut up Sasha!" He exclaimed "These walls are thin!" Sasha giggled.

"You need a better outlet than teasing me." He told her.

"There's nothing to do!" She told him. "I'm so bored."

"Why don't you read a book or something?"

"If I did that every time I was bored, I'd have read every book in this house by summer's end." She groaned.

"I don't think thats possible." He paused. "There's an owl at the window." Sasha excitedly hopped up to greet it and took the letter. She ripped it open immediately. A letter was exactly what she needed to cure her boredom.

_ Sasha,_

_Sorry to hear that you're still bored. It's not so great here either but, I have an idea. Mum's always complaining there's not enough girls here so I was thinking, if you want to, and you're parents are okay with it, because mine are, you could come here for a bit. I could teach you how to play Quidditch and, it could be fun. You don't have to if you don't want to, but we both know you want to. So, see you soon?_

_Fred_

Sasha grinned.

"What are you smiling about?" Rob asked. He still hadn't looked up from his paperwork. Sometimes, her brother amazed her.

"Nothing, just a way to get out of here, finally." Her brother put on a fake sad face.

"You mean you don't love staying in my cramped dingy apartment?"

"I like your apartment better than mum and dad's house, but I've been here all summer. I'm horribly bored." She groaned. She wrote Fred back, thrilled to finally have something to do. In just a few weeks, she could be hanging out the Burrow with some of her best friends in the world. She couldn't wait.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: New chapter! It's a bit long, the longest one I've written so far, but I think it's pretty well done. And BookKailei, thank you for your input, it was very helpful. Yeah I know they're young, I guess I'm getting ahead of myself:). I also wanted to say that I got early admittance into Pottermore! When they send me my email to go in, I'll try to keep you all updated. Thanks to everyone for reading and REVIEW!**

"You must be Sasha!" Sasha suddenly found herself enveloped in a hug by a redheaded woman. It had taken some convincing, but her parents had finally agreed to let Sasha stay at the Weasley's. Her mother was mostly against it because she didn't want Sasha enjoying herself, and her father was concerned about Sasha being with people he had never met. Sasha knew the fact that the Weasleys were Gryffindors made her parents less than comfortable, but Rob had rallied for her and finally she was allowed to go. Rob himself had reservations, he wasn't too sure about her staying at a boy's house but Sasha reminded him that she'd be bunking with Fred's sister Ginny, and it wasn't so much to spend time with Fred, it was to get out of London and have something to do.

"And you must be Mrs. Weasley." Sasha said.

"Oh I'm sure the twins have told you all about me. Where are those boys? Fred! George!" It was strange for Sasha, to be greeted so warmly. One of the twins ran downstairs.

"Sasha!" He exclaimed.

"Fred!" She said back. She assumed it was him, since he looked out of breath from running down here, and George usually wasn't as eager to see her. He hugged her briefly, then George came down.

"Hey Sash, we've missed you." He said as he hugged her.

"Don't just stand there! Take her bags up to Ginny's room." Mrs. Weasley commanded. The boys obeyed and carried her things upstairs. Next to appear was no other than Harry Potter himself.

"Hello Harry." Sasha said, a bit confused.

"Oh hi Sasha. I heard you were coming."

"Really? No one told me you would be here." She told him.

"Oh really? I thought the twins would be thrilled to share their little heist with everyone." Mrs. Weasley huffed.

"I figured it'd be best to tell her in person. So I could really do your reaction justice. '_Beds empty! No note! Car gone! You could've crashed!'_" Fred came back downstairs and imitated his mother's voice, though his recreation was a much higher pitched shriller version than his mother's voice. George also came downstairs and the twins took turns recanting the tale of Harry's escape from the Dursley's. Next down was Ginny, who Sasha would be staying with. She was a very quiet little girl. Percy came down and briefly said hello to Sasha.

"Hey Harry, what's taking you so long-Oh, Hi." Ron came downstairs, obviously confused. "Did no one bother to tell me someone was coming over?"

"It's not any of your business." George said.

"Come on Sasha, you can help us de gnome the garden." Fred told her.

Staying at The Burrow was ten times better than her parent's or Rob's house. There was always things to be done and Sasha had no problem helping with all the cooking and cleaning. It was a little strange to her, her whole life chores had been done by a house elf, but she took to it like a fish to water. Another thing she enjoyed, was Quidditch. The twins put a great effort into teaching her how to play and by the end of the summer, she had all the basics down.

"You're not so bad on a broomstick." George told her as he landed.

"No even close to our level, but okay." Fred added.

"Did mum tell you we're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow?" George asked.

"No, she didn't." Sasha said as they put their brooms down and went inside for dinner

"Well, we are." Fred told her "Which is great because we happen to an awesome place to buy fireworks."

"Oh that should be exciting...Mrs. Weasley do you need help preparing dinner?" Sasha said as she stepped inside.

"Oh that would be wonderful. How did we get so lucky to have you here Sasha? You clean, you cook, you keep the boys more or less out of trouble." Mrs. Weasley gushed.

"Oh please, I should be thanking you for letting me stay here. It's much better here than it was at home. Let me wash my hands and then I'll help you." Fred made a gagging noise.

"What?" She asked him.

"You are too sweet." He groaned. _"Yes, Mrs. Weasley. Do you need help Mrs. Weasley? I'm so perfect." _He mimicked.

"Shut up Fred I do not sound like that." She laughed. "And I'm trying not to be a burden."

"Aw Sash, you could never be a burden here." George laughed. Sasha and George had never been incredibly close, but over the course of the summer, they had definitely developed a friendship.

"I just feel bad, completely intruding on your lives. It's the least I can do to help out."

"Goody goody." Fred scoffed.

The next day, Sasha was woken up early to go to Diagon Alley. They were taking the Floo Network, which Sasha was decently familiar with. They all lined up and threw down their Floo Powder saying "Diagon Alley." After they had stepped into the flames. Sasha arrived with no trouble. She dusted the bit of soot that had clung to her clothes off. She looked around, most of the Weasley family was there, except Mrs. Weasley who had yet to leave when Sasha did. She, however, arrived within a minute.

"Where's Harry?" Someone asked. This sent Mrs. Weasley into a frenzy.

"Harry! Harry!" She called. "Have you seen a boy near here? Black hair, glasses, scar on his forehead? Oh he's Harry Potter for god sakes!" She said to various passerby's, but none had seen Harry.

"Of course he'd go and get himself lost." George muttered.

"Nothing can be easy with him." Fred added.

Sasha scanned the crowd. There was droves of wizarding families there to buy their school supplies. She spotted a large figure making his way through the crowd. Next to him, it seemed there was a scrawny being next to him.

"Is that...?" She began. Before she could even finish her sentence, the boys had taken off running towards the two. Sasha, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley followed at a slower pace. When they got to Harry, Mrs. Weasley rushed over to him, like he had just appeared after being gone for years. The twins were particularly thrilled that Harry had been to Knockturn Alley. Sasha had never been allowed there herself. Her mother claimed that it would soil the family name if anyone saw her down there. With Harry, was Hermione. Sasha was thrilled to see her, as the only girls she had hung out with in quite some time had been Mrs. Weasley, who wasn't exactly a girl, and Ginny, who clammed up anytime Harry was around. Everyone said their hellos and continued to make their way to Gringotts to get some money. Sasha's parents had given her money for school supplies before she had left for The Burrow so she didn't need to go into her vault, so she just went with everyone else.

"It's so fascinating." She said. "All the safety precautions they take. You could spend your whole life here and never know all of them. Something new everyday." Since she was a small child, Sasha had loved Gringotts. It was such a magical place.

"It's a good place for ideas." Fred told her as they made their way towards the Weasley's vault.

"For example, one of the ways they guard the vaults is to put an enchantment on it so if anyone but a goblin touches it, they get sucked into the vault." George told her.

"Now imagine you wake up one morning, and walk over to your wardrobe to choose an outfit." Fred added.

"You touch the door and just like that, you're sucked in. Locked inside a wardrobe." George said enthusiastically.

"That sounds pretty horrible." Sasha laughed.

"Exactly. It's perfect." Fred grinned.

"What if they can't get out? What if they suffocate? Or starve?" Sasha pointed out.

"Not our problem." Fred shrugged.

"You could put a release on the spell after like an hour." Sasha suggested, shooting Fred a harsh look.

"That could work." George said. He made a face that seemed to say "Why not?" Fred though, groaned.

"It's not our job to care about safety." He told her.

"Maybe it should be, you could get in a lot of trouble if you hurt someone."

"Oh stop being a buzz kill!" He exclaimed. Sasha glared at him angrily then fell back to talk with Ginny.

"Don't mind him." George said, falling into step with her. "You know how he gets about his pranks, he's protective."

"I know but, he exasperates me." Sasha sighed. "I can't stay mad at him though, and that's probably the worst part."

After Gringotts, everyone split up to go to their various places.

"Hey there's Lee." George said as he ran over to his friend. Sasha and Fred followed.

"Hey Lee!" Sasha said as she approached him. They hadn't spoken much over the summer, but they were on friendly terms.

"Hey guys, I was just heading to Gambol and Japes." Lee told them. "Figured I'd see you all there."

"Well, we would be there already but," George began.

"Harry had to go and get himself lost." Fred finished.

"In Knockturn Alley no less!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Lucky git!" Lee gushed jealously. The four made their way to the Joke Shop in Diagon Alley where the twins began lecturing her on which pranks to get. They were especially fascinated with the fireworks. After a bit Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked in but they soon left. Sasha was shocked at how long the twins could entertain themselves in the joke shop.

"If you're going to be a prankster, you should be able to live in a joke shop!" George told her.

"No one could live in a joke shop, they'd go mad." She laughed.

"Not if they're already bonkers to begin with." Fred made a crazy face at her.

"Though, we should be going soon, we have to meet everyone at Flourish and Blott's." George told them, tapping his watch.

Flourish and Blott's was a madhouse. People were lined up into the street to get in.

"What is going on?" Sasha asked. Fred pointed to a sign advertising that Gilderoy Lockhart would be signing books here today. Sasha took a sharp intake of breath.

"Gilderoy Lockhart is in there?" She squeaked. She frantically tried to fix her hair which had been giving her trouble all day.

"Yeah but I don't see why-" Fred paused. "Oh." He said. A devilish grin spread across his face.

"Oh!" He exclaimed "George! Look what we have here!" George, realizing the situation, grinned like his brother.

"Does Sasha have a crush?" He asked, mock innocently.

"Of course not!" She shrieked. "I simply admire him for all the deeds he's done for people!"

"Oh _of course._" Fred said in a sickly sweet voice.

"She just, _admires _him." George told Fred.

"There's your mum. Get out of my way, I'm going inside." She pushed past them while they laughed hysterically.

"Come on Sash!" Fred said, catching up.

"We didn't mean to be harsh." George told her.

"We won't judge you if you have a thing for Lockhart." Fred said, stifling a laugh.

"Oh have at it, we all know you want to." Sasha snapped at him. With that, he burst into another round of laughing. When he stopped, she continued.

"I really do just like his writing. I have no interest in-" Sasha was cut short when they caught up with the Weasley family, who happened to be right next to the table Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting at.

"Oh my gosh. It's him." Sasha breathed.

"I know!" Ginny told her. The two stood, awed for a moment, when Harry walked up. This caused Lockhart to go on a great fanfare about Harry being there.

"He'll do anything for publicity." George groaned.

"That's not true. He doesn't need the publicity. He's famous enough!" Sasha said.

"Are you defending him now?" Fred asked her with a small smile.

"No! I'm just saying." Sasha shrugged. Fred and George seemed about ready to start again when there was a commotion on the other side of the store that drew them away. Mr. Weasley, as it seemed, was getting into an argument with Lucius Malfoy. Sasha recognized him as one of the people who was frequently in and out of her parent's home. Their argument quickly escalated into a full on brawl, much to the twin's delight. When the men were pulled apart, Malfoy spotted her.

"Sasha Vogel? I hardly expected to see you hanging around the likes of these people." He sneered. "Are you parents aware of who you are galavanting around with these days?"

"Of course they are!" She said angrily. "I was sorted into Gryffindor, and I couldn't be happier! And the Weasleys are the best family I've ever met, and I've met your family many a time." She shot Draco a pointed look.

"Well, I suppose every family has a black sheep." He said as he stalked out.

"That was so unlike me! I never talk back to adults!" She said nervously after he had left.

"You should start doing it more often." Fred told her.

"You were brilliant!" George exclaimed. Sasha blushed. If her parents knew what she had said to Mr. Malfoy, which they probably soon would, they'd kill her. Although, Sasha was happy she had finally stood up to Lucius Malfoy. She had never liked him. When she was younger, he'd sometimes bring Draco to her house when he met with her dad, but the two had never seen eye to eye.

The Weasley family, Harry, and Sasha returned to the Burrow after the fight between Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy. She packed away her new school books. Dinner was an awkward affair, they mostly ate in silence, with a stiff joke or two from the twins, and a few failed attempts at small talk from everyone else. She went upstairs and settled into the cot in Ginny's room.

"I can't believe we met Gilderoy Lockhart!" She told Ginny.

"Me neither." Ginny said.

"And he's going to be our new teacher!" Sasha exclaimed.

"It is all quite exciting." Ginny blushed.

"Though I doubt you had much interest in him, you were too busy sticking up for Harry." Sasha giggled.

"You're just as bad as the twins!" Ginny groaned.

"It's all in good fun Gin." Sasha told her. "Maybe if you were a little less...er, awkward around him, they wouldn't tease you as much."

"I wish I was less awkward around him!" Ginny exclaimed. "Every time I'm around him I just... He's so famous, and cute, and I don't know what to do!"

"Well maybe you should relax. He's just a boy, and he's very friendly if you have a conversation with him." Sasha told her before drifting off to sleep.

"Sasha get up or we'll miss the train!" Ginny cried, throwing another shoe at her.

"I'm up." Sasha mumbled, burying her face in her pillow.

"Now Sasha! I'm running out of shoes!" Ginny told her. Sasha groggily got out of bed and began to assemble her things.

"Books, clothes, I think I have everything." She said cramming it into her trunk.

"You might want to change out of your pajamas." Ginny giggled. Sasha groaned and unpacked looking for something to wear. She finally found something decent to wear and shoved everything back into her trunk. She grabbed Bristol's cage and ran out to the car. Mr. Weasley had enchanted the car so there was enough room for all of them. She put her things in the car and settled comfortably between Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. They had hardly gotten on their way when they were forced to go back for George's fireworks..._and_ Fred's broomstick..._and_ Ginny's diary. Sasha wasn't even aware Ginny had a diary. They made it to the station with minutes to spare.

"Percy first." Mrs. Weasley said "Sasha, you go with him." Sasha and Percy ran through the barrier together and within seconds, they were on Platform 9 3/4.

"No time to wait on the others." Percy told her "Let's get on the train." Sasha walked awkwardly with Percy. She had gotten close with the whole Weasley family over the summer, but Percy was very detached from his family. He spent most of his time in his room writing letters. Sasha couldn't help but wonder who they were to.

"So Percy, who were you writing to all summer?" She asked, trying to sound casual.

"It's really none of your business." He said sharply.

"Come on Percy, there's no point in keeping a secret. What will I do with it?" She said innocently.

"I don't know, maybe tell my brothers, who you happen to be best friends with!" He snapped.

"So it's something embarrassing? Something the twins would make fun of you for?" She asked.

"Well, it's not really-Wait! I'm not going to tell you anything! Look, there's your friends so move along, and stay out of trouble." Percy told her as he walked off.

Sasha opened the compartment door and was instantly surrounded.

"Sasha!" Lavender exclaimed as she hugged her.

"Way to wait until the last second to get here!" Parvati reprimanded also giving her friend a hug.

"You have no idea how long it took us to leave. Everyone kept forgetting stuff." Sasha groaned.

"How was stayin' with the Weasleys?" Seamus asked

"It was quite the adventure." Sasha sat down. " I have so much to tell you guys... I hope everyone made it okay..."

"Sasha, do you know where Harry and Ron are?" A quiet voice asked. Sasha had been in the middle of recounting the tale of Mr. Weasley's fight with Mr. Malfoy to Neville and Dean while they enjoyed the welcome back feast in the Great Hall. She turned to see Ginny, timidly standing next to her.

"Hey Gin, congrats on getting into Gryffindor!" Sasha exclaimed. "What did you need?"

"I was wondering if you've seen Ron and Harry." Ginny repeated. Sasha thought for a moment.

"No, I haven't seen them. Have you guys?" She asked Neville and Dean. The boys shook their heads.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen them since we were at King's Cross." Sasha mused.

"What could've happened to them?" Ginny cried.

"Hey, calm down. I'm sure they're fine." Sasha said. After dinner, the lot returned to their dormitories.

"Guess what we just heard?" Fred said in a sing song voice.

"Harry and Ron didn't take the train to school." George added vaguely.

"Where are they?" Ginny exclaimed.

"Well, we heard from Lee," Fred began

"Who heard from Oliver," George added

"Who heard from Katie,"

"Who heard from Angelina,"

"Who heard McGonagall tell Flitwick,"

"That Harry and Ron flew the car to school,"

"But the Invisibility Booster failed,"

"And all of London saw them."

"So now they're expelled." Fred finished.

"What?" Ginny shrieked.

"Ginny calm down." Sasha said "That's not true."

"Of course it is!" Fred said, pretending to be hurt.

"Would we lie to you?" George said, pouting.

"Probably, since they're standing right there." Sasha scoffed as Harry and Ron walked through the portrait hole. The twins jumped up and led everyone in a round of applause.

"Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?" The twins asked Harry in unison. Harry and Ron quickly went upstairs, probably to escape Percy's fury.

"They'll get it soon enough." George laughed.

"When mum get's word..." Fred had a look on his face of pure joy.

"I just hope we can be there." George grinned.

"You guys are sick, enjoying your brother's pain." Sasha told them.

"Please Sasha," Fred said.

"You know how we are." George told her. Sasha sighed dramatically.

"Sadly, I do."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Well, I was planning on one or two short chapters for this book but then I started reading the book for the first time in about a year and it gave me a lot of new ideas so here's another long chapter. There should be about one more long chapter from this book, then I'll be moving onto the Prisoner of Azkaban! Also, if anyone out there has a Tumblr, a bunch of people (myself included) are a part of a Harry Potter RP. So if you want to check it out, or join the RP, check it out on this page:**

**charityburbage-msprof. tumblr. com**

**I'm the Seamus for this RP, in case you were wondering. **

**Review please!**

Hogwarts wasn't the same this year. It wasn't like it was difficult to figure out why. After the attack of Filch's cat the school had been positively on edge but even before that, something hadn't felt right. It seemed like the school itself was ready to pounce, but not quite yet. Sasha couldn't explain it. She had asked the twins about it, but they had little to say on the matter, as they were very busy finding new ways to irritate Percy. Lavender and Parvati were too preoccupied with Cedric Diggory's new haircut to talk much about ominous feelings.

"Don't you feel like, something's about to happen?" She asked Seamus.

"What like, Snape's gonna spring a test on us?" He said nervously, reaching for his potions book.

"No, I mean, something feels off..." She said.

"I don' get it." Seamus said.

"I can't place the feeling, but something's not right about the castle." Sasha said.

"The castle?"

"Yeah it's something about the castle this year." Seamus shrugged.

"I'm going to study for Potions anyways." Seamus told her. "Knowing Snape, theres bond to be a surprise exam at some point..." Sasha sighed. No one was going to believe her. She didn't entirely believe herself. It wasn't until Halloween that her suspicions were confirmed. Sasha had been walking back from the feast with Seamus, Dean, Lavender, and Parvati when they had heard Malfoy's cry.

"Why on earth would he say that?" Parvati asked. They pushed to the front of the crowd and saw the scene.

"Oh dear." Lavender said.

"Sasha..." Seamus said nervously. "Ya wouldn't happen to be a Seer would ya?"

"Of course not." Sasha said, eyeing him oddly.

"Well, you were tha one who said somet'ing bad was gonna happen."

"Seamus be serious. It was a bad feeling. I'm not a Seer."

"Maybe there's a Seer in your family or somet'ing. You should look into it." The scene finally broke up and everyone returned to their dorm rooms. She pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote a hasty letter to Rob.

_Rob,_

_Some strange happenings have been going on at the school. It's a bit difficult to explain and I'll send you more information once I know more myself. You wouldn't happen to know anything about the Chamber of Secrets would you?_

_Sasha_

_On a side note, this is completely ridiculous but, we don't happen to have any Seers in out family do we?_

Before Rob could respond to her, Professor Binns answered her question. At least, her question about the Chamber of Secrets. She had been fast asleep next to Lavender in History of Magic when she heard the words "Chamber of Secrets." She sat up drastically. She listened intently while Binns told the story. She almost laughed aloud as he clearly was not used to such an attentive class. Though he obviously enjoyed the attention, he brushed it off as nonsense.

"It does not exist." He concluded. "A tale to frighten the gullible." He also explained that there was a monster, that only the Heir of Slytherin could control. Sasha did laugh aloud when Binns called Seamus, O'Flaherty and Parvati, Ms. Pennyfeather. When Sasha realized he was done talking about it, she went back to sleep.

Sasha decided that the upcoming Slytherin/Gryffindor Quidditch match would be a good distraction from the recent goings ons at Hogwarts. Seamus and Sasha found a seat in the stands near their usual group of friends. The game started out as usual. That was, until she noticed that the twins were hardly leaving Harry's side. It was like the were simply hitting the bludger back in forth, passing it over Harry.

"What's going on?" She asked Seamus, clinging to his arm.

"Looks like the bludger's intentionally goin' for Harry!" He exclaimed. Over time, Sasha had gotten used to seeing the twins dip perilously through the sky, but all of her previous fears resurfaced as she saw them juggling the rogue bludger between them. There was a brief time out where Oliver, Harry, and the twins seemed to be debated something but, they all got back on their brooms and flew off. The twins however, were no longer guarding Harry. He jerked around and dove a lot, trying to avoid the bludger. Sasha squinted to see through the rain. Harry seemed to be talking to Draco. Suddenly, the bludger came at Harry, hitting his arm. Even in the pouring rain, and at a distance, Sasha could tell the bludger had done a good amount of damage. Harry suddenly flew at Draco, reaching for him wildly. Then, Harry flew towards the ground, hit it, and rolled off of his broom. After a moment, Sasha realized, he had caught the snitch!

"Look out Harry!" Seamus yelled. This was dumb obviously, as Harry couldn't hear him but Seamus had good reason. The bludger was still coming at Harry. Within seconds the Twins were off their brooms, wrestling it back into it's box. The teachers surrounded Harry and he was whisked off to the hospital wing. Sasha hurried down to the entrance of the locker rooms. Within a few minutes, the twins emerged.

"What's going on? Are you guys okay? Is Harry okay? What the bloody hell is going on?" She exclaimed.

"Deep breaths Sash." George said, grabbing her shoulders.

"Sorry it's just, what was that out there?"

"Rogue bludger." Fred said nonchalantly.

"Someone jinxed it." George added.

"Are you guys okay? You guys were tossing that bludger back and forth!"

"A few scrapes and bruises..."

"All in all a success." George shrugged.

"And Harry?" The twins burst out laughing.

"What? He's okay?" She asked. Their reaction suggested he was, but knowing the twins, they'd give this same reaction if Harry had lost every bone in his arm. She laughed a bit at that image.

"Yeah he's alright, though Lockhart did a number on him." Fred laughed.

"Took every bone out of Harry arm, he did." George added.

"What a git."

"Okay, that was scarily accurate." Sasha thought to herself. She returned to the common rooms and found herself exhausted. The twins decided to go visit Harry with the rest of the team, they asked her to join them but Sasha was exhausted and decided to return to the common room. She went up to her dormitory and found Bristol on her bed, head cocked to his side, letter in his mouth. She anxiously took the letter and opened it.

_ Sasha,_

_Have they started all that Chamber of Secrets bull at Hogwarts again? In my time there, we had at least 3 "Chamber of Secrets" openings. I wouldn't worry too much. I heard an interesting thing the other day at work. A certain blonde haired second year girl told off Lucius Malfoy in Flourish and Blott's. What were you thinking? Dad could've lost his job! I could've lost my job! Malfoy was furious of course, but he got over it almost instantly. I heard the Ministry's been on his tail for some time now so he's got other matters to deal with. I have to say, I am incredibly proud of you for saying that stuff to him. I've never liked him, or his pansy of a son. About the Seer question, there have been rumors about a distant relation to Cassandra Vablatsky, though we've never been able to track her down to ask her. I heard she's a bit morbid. Other than that, I think Aunt Maggie dated Inigo Imago who wrote The Dream Oracle. Though I'm not sure if that's true since she blew herself up, you'd think she would've seen it coming. Get it? She dated a Seer... Okay I'm going to stop writing before my jokes get worse._

_All my love,_

_Rob_

Sasha finished reading the letter and lay back on her bed. Bristol fluttered next to her and gave her hair a tug.

"Go away. I'll write him back later." She groaned. Bristol nipped her as if to say "Fine, have it your way." And flew off. Sasha collapsed into bed and fell instantly asleep. Her dreams were riddled with hanging cats, rogue bludgers, and perhaps most terrifying was in her dreams, the walls were always shifting and moving as if they were alive. She awoke in a cold sweat. The sheets stuck to her legs in a horribly uncomfortable way. She tried to fall back asleep, but remembering her dreams, she decided against it. She stood up and opened the window slowly. Unfortunately, the night was still and offered no breeze. She decided to go for a quick walk. She entered the common room, intending to sit down and relax for a bit but when she got there, it didn't feel right. Against her better judgement she decided to walk around the castle.

"I won't go far." She told herself. She wandered about for a bit and found herself by the stairs. She thought about going to see Harry. Maybe he was awake and he always seemed to offer good advice, especially at the early hours of the morning. She began to head to the Infirmary when she heard a noise. Instantly she imagined McGonagall catching her or even worse, Snape. She pressed herself against the wall and saw a figure pass right by her. The figure was smaller than her, perhaps Flitwick, though he looked a little big for the goblin sized teacher. She decided not to take her chances and turned the other way. Suddenly, she felt a sense of urgency to return to her dormitory. The foreboding feel the castle had been giving off tripled as she rushed back.

"Wake up!" She shrieked to the Fat Lady.

"Perhaps if you didn't insist on taking midnight strolls throughout the castle-" The Fat Lady began.

"Wattlebird! The password is wattlebird now let me in!" Sasha said desperately pulling at the frame.

"Alright, alright. I can't possibly understand what's gotten you in such a fuss." The Fat Lady mumbled as the frame swung open. Sasha stumbled in and the frame swung shut behind her. Sasha sat by the fire and breathed deeply. She tried to focus her thoughts. She didn't know what had caused her such a fright. She had just known in her bones that something was horribly wrong and she had to get out of there. Eventually, she went upstairs and laid in bed but sleep wouldn't come. At some point, she did doze off because the next thing she knew, Lavender was jumping on her bed.

"Sasha! Sasha wake up! There's been another attack!" Sasha sat up.

"What?"

"Last night. Colin Creevy was found on the staircase leading to the infirmary." Parvati said from across the room. Sasha gasped. That must've been who she had seen last night but, if he was on the staircase was he was found, he must've been attacked seconds after she had left.

"Wow Sasha I had no idea you and Colin were close." Lavender said, touching Sasha's hands, which had begun to shake.

"I'm not. We're not. It's just freaky that somethings attacking people." Sasha mumbled.

"Or someone." Lavender said, her voice dripping with excitement. Sasha rolled out of bed and got dressed slowly.

"Sasha, don't take this the wrong way but," Parvati began as she crossed the room to look at Sasha.

"You look horrible! Rough night?" Exclaimed Lavender.

"You have no idea."

Ginny seemed to have taken the news about Colin even worse than Sasha had. She was pale, sickly looking, and distraught. The twins tried to cheer her up by jumping out at her, covered in hair and boils but it only upset her more.

"Fred! George! Stop it! You're not helping!" Sasha scolded when she caught them lurking behind a suit of armor, ready to surprise Ginny.

"This is how we deal with our problems." George shrugged.

"You're only scaring her." Sasha said.

"Then you try to fix her!" Fred exclaimed.

"I will. I can do a better job than you in any case." Sasha huffed as she went off to find Ginny. She found Ginny in the common room, staring blankly at a potions book.

"Hey Gin." Sasha said. Ginny flinched.

"Oh hi Sasha. You startled me." She said meekly.

"Everyone's down at dinner you know." Sasha told her.

"I'm not very hungry."

"Mind if I sit with you?" Ginny clearly did mind. She looked at Sasha as though Sasha had just asked her to jump off the astronomy tower. Sasha sat anyways.

"Ginny, we're all worried about you." Sasha began.

"Who's 'we all'?" Ginny asked.

"Me, your brothers, Harry." Sasha stated.

"Harry doesn't care." Ginny mumbled.

"Of course he does. You're his best friend's little sister." Sasha told her.

"Exactly. I'm his best friends little sister. He doesn't care about me." Ginny said miserably. Sasha understood.

"Well, Ginny, Harry's got a lot on is mind. I'm sure if he was a little less preoccupied and well, you guys were a bit older..." Sasha stammered. She wasn't very good at talking to people.

"Just don't worry about it Sasha!" Ginny growled.

"I'm sorry Gin. It's none of my business." Sasha said lightly. "Although, it is my business if you starve because your mother would be furious." She giggled.

"Fine. If you will stop bothering me, I'll go down to dinner." Ginny said with a weak smile.

"I can't stop bothering you Ginny. I'm worried."

"Don't be."

It was Seamus's idea to go to dueling club. Sasha was a bit hesitant but she was finally convinced.

"As long as I don't have to duel you. I like my hair on my head." She told him. Sasha was a bit curious to see who would be teaching the class. She hoped it wasn't Lockhart. Any feelings she may or may not have had towards him had dissipated when she realized how truly incompetent he was. Unfortunately, Lockhart was there, making a big deal of his dueling skills. Sasha couldn't help but smile when she realized that Snape would be dueling Lockhart. It was clear that Lockhart stood no chance. The look on Snape's face was murderous. Sasha tentatively took a step away from the stage.

"Nervous?" Seamus asked.

"A bit. I've never seen people fight before." Sasha blushed.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm a little nervous too." Seamus shrugged. Sasha smiled at him. He really was her best friend at Hogwarts. She had the twins and they were wonderful but they weren't as understanding. She also had Parvati and Lavender but they were often more concerned with their own affairs. Seamus, while stubborn and insensitive at time, still knew how to being caring and was a good listener. Lockhart and Snape bowed, then Lockhart gave a brief explanation and counted to three. Lightning fast, Snape raised his wand.

"_Expelliarmus!" _Lockhart was knocked backwards off of the stage in a flash of scarlet. Sasha jumped a little and grabbed Seamus's hand.

"Is he okay?" She whispered. As if to answer her question, Lockhart rose and began rambling about how he could have easily defending himself. Sasha blushed and dropped Seamus's hand. She nudged him.

"What a load of bullocks." She giggled.

"The man doesn't know what he's talking about! I'm surprised he can even hold his wand." Seamus scoffed. Lockhart began dividing everyone into pairs. Seamus was paired with Ron.

"Try not to get blown up, or blow anything up." Sasha giggled as Seamus walked off.

"Ah Miss Vogel, you can pair with Miss Brown." Lockhart said as he swept by. Sasha approached Lavender.

"I'm not entirely sure what we're supposed to do..." Sasha giggled.

"I guess we should bow?" Lavender said. They did. They turned and walked away from each other, then faced.

"3...2...1" Lavender said tentatively.

"_Expelliarmus?" _Sasha said, imitating Snape. With a bang, light blasted from Sasha's wand. She fell over from the force. The spell, however, missed Lavender. They looked at each other and fell into hysterics.

"Let's not do that again!" Sasha gasped.

"That did more damage to you then it did me!" Lavender squealed. They looked around to survey the damage. Millicent Bulstrode had Hermione in a headlock, which caused Sasha and Lavender to start laughing all over again. Sasha spotted Seamus and rushed over to him. Ron was holding him up, but he didn't look well.

"Ron! What did you do?" She said.

"I dunno! My wand..." He stammered.

"That wand is a menace." She told him.

"I'm alright." Seamus said standing up weakly. Sasha grabbed his arm to steady him. Lockhart decided to teach them how to block, which probably should've been done in the first place. He tried to bring Neville and Justin onto the stage, but Snape interjected. It was probably for the best, since Neville was a bit destructive. Instead, Snape put Harry and Draco on the stage.

"This can't end well." Sasha told Seamus. Lockhart "showed Harry how to defend himself" but obviously, he didn't do it well. Harry was hardly prepared for when Malfoy raised his wand and bellowed

"_Serpensortia!_" A snake shot out of the end. Lockhart, thinking he was being heroic, twirled his wand wildly. The snake flew into the air. Sasha jumped back, bumping into Seamus.

"You alright?" He asked. But Sasha was distracted by the fact that the snake was slithering, fangs exposed, straight towards Justin Finch-Fletchley. Justin stood only a few feet from them so Sasha quietly backed up, pushing Seamus back in the process. Suddenly, the weirdest thing happened. Harry began speaking, but it was no language Sasha recognized. It was...hissing. Justin, was furious. He thought Harry had egged the snake on. Sasha wasn't entirely sure he hadn't.

"Harry's a Parselmouth!" Seamus exclaimed. Sasha jumped yet again. She had forgotten Seamus was standing directly behind her.

"That's not possible. I mean, there hasn't been a Parselmouth since...since..."

"Salazar Slytherin." Lavender said quietly. In fact, it was probably the most subdued Sasha had ever seen Lavender. Though, she was quickly back to her normal peppy self.

"Oh Parvati is going to be so upset she missed this!" Lavender said, looking thrilled. She skipped off down the corridor to find Parvati, who had opted not to go that night. The twins, who had been there all night, suddenly appeared.

"So Harry's the heir of Slytherin." Fred said casually.

"Best be careful, he'll sic his monster on you." George told Sasha.

"Shut up. He couldn't possibly be! He defeated You Know Who! Would the Heir of Slytherin do that?" Sasha said.

"Getting rid of the competition." Fred shrugged.

"I can't believe this!" Sasha said

"We're just screwing with you." George laughed.

"Of course Harry isn't the Heir of Slytherin. He's not even in Slytherin." Fred told her.

"It's common sense really. The Heir of _Slytherin _is in _Slytherin_." George ruffled her hair.

"Alright then Seamus?" Fred said mockingly, giving him a shove on the shoulder.

"Sod off." Seamus said as he stalked off.

"You two really need to learn to get along." Sasha told Fred as she chased after Seamus.

"I thought I was being perfectly polite." He told George.

The next day, Sasha woke up to see a winter storm outside her window. Thankfully, she hadn't left it open that night or she'd be covered in snow. That meant Herbology was cancelled which she was quite grateful for. It was one of her more like-able classes, but she doubted being in the same room as Harry and Justin would be quite enjoyable. She decided to sleep in for a bit then get a late breakfast. They had stopped serving so she went down to the kitchens for a little something. As she was leaving the kitchens, she heard screaming. Someone was saying there was another attack. Sasha ran down the corridor towards the noise. It was Peeves yelling, and he had good reason. Justin Finch-Fletchley was lying on the floor, and near him was Nearly Headless Nick but Nick was a horrible smokey color.

"Harry?" Sasha said, confused.

"No Sasha it's not-" But before he could finish his sentence, the other Hufflepuffs came streaming out of nowhere. Soon she was surrounded by a rather large crowd. Sasha realized that her urge to be out of the crowd was larger than her urge to get answers. She rushed through the crowd and looked for Seamus or the Twins, to tell them what had just happened but before she could find them, she found Oliver.

"Hey Sasha. You alright? You look spooked!" He said cheerfully.

"Oh Oliver! There's been another attack!" She told him

"What? Where? Who?" He said.

"Yes, just over there by the Hufflepuff common rooms. It was Justin Finch-Fletchley but that's not the worst part!" She said.

"Well, what is?" He asked.

"It was a double attack."

"Well, who else was attacked!" Oliver exclaimed.

"Nick!"

"Nick who?"

"Nick as in Nearly Headless." She told him.

"That-That's not possible." Oliver told her.

"It was horrible! He was this disgusting, dark color... Oliver he wasn't even transparent!" She said, she felt tears streaming down her face.

"I don't even know why I'm crying!" She told him with a small laugh.

"It's okay. That was a traumatic event." Oliver said, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"I really should go tell the rest of the Gryffindors." Sasha said.

"Yeah and I do need to meet Katie Bell to discuss tactics." Oliver told her.

"You'll be alright?" He asked.

"Of course." She smiled.

After the Twins found out about Justin, they were positively thrilled. They took to loudly advertising that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin. Sasha tried to calm them down but she soon learned, like everyone else at Hogwarts did, that the Twins were uncontrollable. Seamus didn't believe the rumors, but he seemed to keep his space from Harry. Sasha knew Harry was innocent. The look on his face when she had found him with Justin had proved it. The holidays arrived and Sasha felt her usual sense of dread. The twins tried to get her to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays but Sasha felt that she owed her parents at least a week or two of her awkward presence a year. They did raise her after all. So, she packed her trunk and found her way to the Hogwarts Express to return home for the holidays.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: So, I finished up The Chamber of Secrets in this chapter. The ending is a bit sloppy because I was trying to end it without having to start a whole other chapter. I'd really like everyone's opinions please! They really help me. I'm going to try to be less distracted and buckle down to write some new chapters, those should be out sometime next week. Also, I got my Pottermore Confirmation Email! Now I'm just waiting for my Welcome Email! Review please :)**

Sasha was relieved that Rob was at Platform 9 3/4 and not her mother. She was less than thrilled though, when he told her that they would be going to her parent's house for dinner. In the great dining room, which Sasha had always thought was much to big for a family of four who hardly entertained more than one person at a time, they sat in the awkward silence that Vogel family dinners usually were. Sasha had learned it was best to keep her head down in her family. Though, she couldn't avoid them forever.

"I still have my job." Her father said.

"What?" Sasha said.

"I still have my job." Her father repeated. "I wasn't fired because of your little stunt with Lucius Malfoy."

"Do we really have to bring this up again? I received your letter regarding it, I received mom's letter, hell I received Rob's letter and he's supposed to be on my side." Sasha said.

"Yes we have to bring it up again because I'm incredibly disappointed in you! And we're a family. We don't have 'sides.'" Her father told her.

"You're disappointed in me? I'm disappointed in you for putting up with that foul man! And as for this family not having sides, we both know it does and you and mum have always been on the side opposite mine! It wasn't even until recently that Rob began supporting me." Rob looked indignant but thought better of saying anything. Her father fumed.

"Without 'that foul man' we wouldn't be able to put food on the table, or clothes on your back!" He yelled.

"You should've heard the way he was talking to the Weasley's! Like they were lower than dirt!" She yelled back.

"Perhaps, it's better if you don't associate with them anymore." He father said cooly.

"But-"

"That is all I will say on the matter." He father said, returning to his food. Sasha couldn't stand to be around them anymore. She stood up and angrily went upstairs. Her mother began to angrily protest but Sasha could care less. Her mother was clearly thrilled that she and her father weren't getting along. She threw herself down on her bed. Across from her, on her desk, the smiling pictures of her friends beamed at her. A few more had joined her collection since last Christmas. There was one of Sasha, Lavender, Parvati, and Seamus in their usual compartment on the train, arms around each other, grinning at the camera. There was one of the twins, cheekily winking. There was a more recent one of she and Rob in his apartment, covered in books and laughing hysterically. She smiled, remembering the memories that came from each of the pictures. She needed to talk to someone. She grabbed a quill, some ink, and a piece of parchment. She sat at her desk but couldn't bring herself to write. Who should she talk to? She considered Lavender, but she wasn't good for serious talk. She also thought about writing Parvati but the same went for her. Then her thoughts went to Fred or George but she knew they would be furious if they found out her father had prohibited her from hanging out with them. So she wrote to Seamus.

_Seamus,_

_Things are horrible here. I should've listened to the twins and stayed at Hogwarts! My father is still furious about what I said to Lucius Malfoy and he showed it tonight. My mother was ecstatic that my father was fighting with me again, and Rob just sat there! My father told me I'm not allowed to hang out with the Weasley's anymore. Being with them this summer was the only fun part! I can't stand it here Seamus. I miss you, and Lav, and Parvati, and the twins. I want to be back at Hogwarts. _

_Love,_

_Sasha_

She gave the letter to Bristol but didn't send him off yet. She stroked the owl's head, hesitant to send off her one ally in the house. Bristol nuzzled against her, then flew off into the night. Sasha lay back onto her bed and fell asleep with her friends smiling faces in her mind.

Sasha spent most of the week in her room. Rob was too busy with work for her to stay with him, and she didn't want to. Rob hadn't apologized for abandoning her the first night at dinner. The week finally ended and Sasha practically ran onto the platform. To Sasha's great relief, she instantly saw Seamus. She ran over and hugged him.

"Sasha! How are you holding up?" He said.

"Much better now that I'm going back to Hogwarts." She grinned. She was greeted with equal enthusiasm from the rest of her friends, and the twins when they got back to Hogwarts. Upon returning to school, Sasha discovered that Hermione was now in the hospital wing but no one would tell her why. Harry and Ron were very secretive about it and Madam Pomfrey wouldn't allow her visitors. On the bright side, there hadn't been any more attacks since Justin's. Lockhart was going on about how he had intimidated the Heir of Slytherin into backing off. That wasn't the only thing he was going on about. Valentine's Day had arrived and it was clear it was Lockhart's favorite holiday. Heart shaped confetti was falling from the ceiling, and horrid pink flowers covered the walls.

"What's going on?" Sasha asked, sitting next to Fred and George. Before they could answer, Lockhart started speaking.

"Happy Valentine's Day! And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all-and it doesn't end here." George groaned. Then, Lockhart clapped and into the hall marched twelve disgruntled dwarves dressed as cupids.

"Oh my god." Sasha covered her mouth to stifle her giggles. Fred mimed throwing up.

"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" Lockhart announced with a smile.

"They hardly look friendly!" Sasha exclaimed.

"They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines!"

"Bloody hell." Said George.

"And the fun doesn't stop here!"

"Dear god I wish it would." Fred groaned.

"I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"

"5 galleons to ask Snape to make a love potion." Sasha said

"Deal." Said the twins.

Sasha found that Valentine's Day was quite entertaining. As long as she wasn't on the receiving line of any of the singing valentines, she was content. The twins found Harry's to be particularly juicy, as it had come from their sister.

"Doesn't it worry you guys that she likes Harry?" She asked.

"He's only a year older than her." Fred shrugged.

"Besides, they'll never end up together." George laughed. Sasha though, had that weird feeling she sometimes got.

"You never know." She said. It wasn't until later in the day when a particularly nasty looking dwarf approached her. She quickly looked around. There wasn't many people in the hallway, and the few that were there weren't paying attention which was good, but she knew if a scene was made, it would be all over the school and Fred and George would never let her live it down.

"I'm begging you, _please_ don't sing." She told the dwarf. He gave her a long disgruntled look.

"Lockhart says we 'ave to." He informed her.

"Let's face it. You don't want to sing, I don't want you to sing. Just slip me the bloody note and no one has to know." He gave her another long look, then made a small grunting noise.

"I s'pose I might forget 'ter sing it... If I had some...encouragement." He said. She sighed and fished a few coins from her pocket. She shoved them into his hand.

"Here. Where's the note?" He handed her a wrinkled piece of paper.

"Who sent this?" She asked.

"That's against the confidentiality agreement." He cackled as he walked away. Sasha sighed again and read the hastily written note.

_Your eyes are blue like the Hogwarts lake._

_When you look at me, I start to quake._

_A glance from you is all I need._

_When I'm with you, I can't breathe. Not even with Gillyweed._

Sasha was incredibly relieved the dwarf hadn't read that aloud. Who could've sent that? She couldn't think of anyone who liked her in that way.

"It's probably a joke." She thought to herself. And that's when she realized.

She entered the common room to find Fred and George laughing.

"You think you guys are so funny!" She growled.

"Come on Sash, it was a prank!" George told her.

"It's what we do!" Fred added.

"That's not the kind of thing you joke about!" She squeaked. Then she turned and went upstairs.

"What did we do?" Asked Fred.

"I dunno why she's so upset." George said, puzzled.

"We just enchanted her books to read themselves aloud whenever she opened them." Fred said.

"She didn't need to take it so badly."

Sasha started having nightmare's again. She would be chasing something but every time she turned the corner it had gone around the next. She was terrified of it, but she had to keep chasing it. She always awoke feeling horrible and unrested. It didn't help when the boy's dormitory was broken into. She distracted herself with choosing classes. She decided she wanted to do Care of Magical Creatures, as she found that fascinating, and Divination because Lavender and Parvati persuaded her to. Then, there was the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff Quidditch match. It wasn't so much the match, as what happened right before. The match was cancelled and everyone was forced to return to their common rooms.

"You've heard right?" Said Fred as he caught up, still in his Quidditch robes.

"Heard what?" Seamus asked suspiciously.

"Why they cancelled the match you git!"

"Rumor has it, there's been another attack." George chimed in.

"On who?" Sasha asked.

"Some Ravenclaw girl." Fred shrugged.

"And Hermione Granger!" George added.

"What? Is she okay?" Sasha exclaimed.

"I dunno."

They filed back to the common room, but no one felt like sleeping. McGonagall had informed them that there was a possibility of the school closing. Sasha couldn't bear the thought. Lee was all for throwing the Slytherins out and Sasha couldn't say she disagreed. That would seem to solve their problems but then again, she knew for a fact that all Slytherins weren't bad. Percy seemed particularly upset.

"I didn't think he cared much for Hermione." Sasha noted.

"It's not that. The other girl who was attacked was a prefect. I guess he's realized that prefects aren't invincible." Fred told her. When they finally did go to sleep, her dreams were even worse. Now she knew it was a person she was chasing. She called after them but they were always a few steps ahead. All Sasha saw before waking up was a flash of red.

Sasha was immensely grateful that they would be getting exams. That task was more than enough to distract her from her nightmares, which she told no one about. There was too much going on in the castle for anyone to be concerned with her dreams which were just that, dreams. They weren't real, which was something Sasha told herself on a nightly basis. Then, more good news followed, as it was announced that the Mandrakes were ready for cutting and all the petrified people would be all right. Sasha was trying to stay awake in History of Magic, but the class was so horribly tedious that within minutes she had fallen asleep.

_Sasha was running down the corridor through Hogwarts. Just steps behind the culprit._

"_Wait! Who are you?" She turned the corner just to see the heel of someone's shoe turn the next corner. Her chest burned as she kept running, she was going to catch them this time. She knew it. She kept running for what felt like hours when she hit a dead end. There, at the end of the hall, was Ginny Weasley. She looked dazed, looking at the ground, and was wavering where she stood. Above her was written_

"_Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever." Sasha gasped and Ginny's head shot up, her mouth moved to form words but nothing came out. Then the floor beneath her opened and with an ear shattering scream, Ginny fell to her death._

Sasha shot up and gasped.

"Sasha! What's wrong?" Seamus asked. She looked around.

"I don't have time to explain. I have to go." She raced out of the classroom, running to find someone who could help. While she was running, an announcement echoed through the corridors.

"All students return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please." Sasha wasn't sure where to go. Should she go to find a teacher? Judging by the announcement, they already knew. She decided that she needed to know if her dream was real. She turned around and hurried to the spot of Ms. Norris's attack. There, written under the first message, was the one from her dream. Sasha gasped, and grabbed the wall to steady herself. How could she have possibly known about the message? Down the hall, she heard Peeves coming and, not wanting to be caught at the scene of the crime, she fled back to the dormitory.

"Where the hell have you been?" Seamus yelled when she entered the common room.

"Nearly scared me to death, running out of class like that! Left all your stuff just lying there! Lucky for you I picked it up!" Seamus handed her all her books and other things.

"Thanks." She said absentmindedly.

"Where's Fred and George?"

"Are you really not even going to tell me where you went?" Seamus fumed.

"Seamus please. This is really important." Seamus eyed her strangely, but sighed and pointed to the other side of the room. The twins along with Harry and Ron were sitting sullenly in a far corner. Sasha joined them.

"I'm so sorry." She threw her arms around both of the twins, then hugged Ron. They didn't say much, but she sat with them and offered comfort. She didn't tell them about the dream, because even if they knew, it wouldn't make a difference. After sometime, the twins went to sleep, she stayed with Harry and Ron a little longer, but it was maddening. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words. She didn't sleep that night. She didn't want to have another dream. She must have dozed off because before she knew it, Lavender was running around like a crazy person.

"Sasha! Get up! Somethings happened!" She cried. Sasha sat up and grabbed her wand.

"There's been another attack?" She asked, fear in her voice.

"No! She's okay! Ginny's okay!" Lavender cheered.

"What? How?" Sasha felt happiness consume her.

"It was Harry! He saved her and he killed the monster! It's over! Hogwarts is staying open!" Sasha jumped out of bed and hugged her friend. They both went to the Great Hall in their pajamas to celebrate. The petrified students had awakened and were all thrilled to return. Hagrid showed up as well, after being in Azkaban. Gryffindor won the house cup and exams were cancelled. Everyone was celebrating.

With the Chamber of Secrets scare over, everyone was cheerful and the school no longer had the dangerous aura surrounding it. Sasha and Seamus went down to the lake to enjoy the nice weather often.

"You never told me why you ran out of class the day Ginny was attacked." He told her one day towards the end of the term. She finally told Seamus the whole story, about the dreams and her brother's note regarding Seers in her family.

"So you are a seer!" He exclaimed.

"It wasn't a vision! It was more like a premonition." Sasha told him. She still had a hard time believing she had seen what would happen before it did.

"The details weren't right. All it told me was that there was a message and Ginny was in danger."

"That's still a lot to go on when everyone else has nothing. You'll be top of the class in Divination next year!"

"Is it too late to switch out of that?" She groaned.

"It'll be fun!" He cheered.

Sasha and her friends sat in their usual compartment on the Hogwarts Express. They talked about their usual things. They ate the usual candy. The regime they had fallen into was so predictable. Sasha didn't mind though. After their unusual year at Hogwarts, usual was just what they needed. Then, the sad time came when she said goodbye. There were hugs all around and she left Platform 9 3/4. Rob was standing there, a small smile on his face.

"Just so you know, I told dad that I hated Malfoy too, and I was jealous that you had said what I was thinking. I also told him, that I wish I had the courage to make friends I truly liked back in school, without being afraid of what my parents think." He said sheepishly. Sasha laughed and hugged her older brother.

"Let's just go home."


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Sorry I haven't been updating recently. I've had some major writers block but hopefully I'll have it fixed up. If it makes up for it, this is a rather long chapter. Another chapter should be coming soon. Also, I recently learned a new term. "Mary Sue." So though Sasha is in no way a recreation of myself, she is an OC so if anyone feels that she is Mary Sue-ish, please let me know. Also if you would like to let me know how to un Mary Sue her, if she is a Mary Sue, that would be great. Thank you all so much. REVIEW!**

"Oh Sasha look at this one!" Called a high pitched voice. Sasha was standing in a muggle clothing store in London. In her hands, she held a purple dress. She turned a corner to see Lavender holding up a sparkly pink shirt.

"It's very you, Lav." She giggled.

"Where have the twins run off to?" Lavender asked, not taking her eyes off of the shirt. As if on cue, there was a shout from the other side of the store.

"Padma! I saw it first!" Shrieked a voice.

"I was born first Parvati!" Another voice retaliated. Sasha and Lavender ran across the store to see the Patil twins fighting over a green blouse. The store manager rushed over and tried to pry the girls off each other.

"Let us handle it." Sasha sighed. She grabbed Parvati and Lavender grabbed Padma.

"1...2...3!" Lavender said. On three they both threw their weight backwards, effectively prying the twins apart. That wasn't the only thing torn apart though. With a rip, the shirt was torn in half, leaving the manager fuming.

"Get...out!" She shrieked. The girls were hastily ushered from the store. The twins shared guilty looks while Sasha was laughing hysterically.

"This is not funny!" Lavender exclaimed. She cast a longing glance at the pink shirt, visible from outside the store.

"C'mon Lav. We'll find you a better one." Sasha said as she grabbed her friends hand and set off down the street. The four of them had taken to shopping trips whenever they could all be in London. This was often for Sasha since she spent so much time at Rob's apartment. The girls stopped in a coffee shop for a bit before saying their goodbyes. The coffee shop wasn't far from her brother's apartment so Sasha walked home. She got back to see her brother, standing just outside his door, holding the groceries he was supposed to get hours ago. He was talking to his neighbor across the way, Marie. Sasha gave a small cough as she walked up.

"Oh! Hello Sasha! I did not know you were staying 'ere!" Marie trilled in her French accent.

"Um, yeah. She is. Sasha I thought you were out with your friends." Rob said in a dreamy voice.

"Yes, Rob but it's dinnertime so I came home." Sasha told him.

"Eez it? I 'ad not realized!" Marie exclaimed, smiling at Rob.

"Yeah...me neither." Rob said, staring at Marie, a stupid grin on his face. Sasha looked at the two of them, then sighed. She removed the slightly soggy grocery bag from Rob's hands and entered the apartment. She started cooking dinner in his cramped kitchen, working around the stacks of papers that cluttered his house. Rob came in a few moments later.

"Why don't you just ask her out?" Sasha asked as she heated a pot of water.

"Who?" Rob said nervously, as he pretending to be searching for a book on his overstuffed bookshelf.

"Oh come off it! You know who I'm talking about!" Sasha laughed.

"No, I'm not sure I do." Now he was inspecting his shirt for lint. Sasha playfully threw the closest thing she could find at him, a bottle of ink. It hit a tower of books that proceeded to fall on her brother, covering him completely. For a moment, neither sibling moved, then they burst into hysterics. Rob waved his wand and the books re-stacked themselves

"Anyways," He said, using this time to change the subject.

"We should head down to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get your school things."

"Oh yes! That would be wonderful!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Good." He said, flicking his wand to enchant the knives to start cutting vegetables.

"Did you hear about Black?"

"Hm?" She asked absentmindedly, her head stuck in the fridge.

"Sirius Black. He escaped from Azkaban." Rob told her.

"It's in the paper." He pointed to the Dailey Prophet, which was lying on the kitchen table.

"Who's Sirius Black?" Sasha asked Rob.

"Oh right. I forgot you're a bit young for that. Well, the night You-Know-Who was destroyed, you were only a few months old at the time, his most devoted follower Sirius Black, went on a rampage. Wiped out an entire street. Killed about a dozen muggles, and a wizard to boot. Supposedly, he's the one who betrayed the Potters to Voldemort."

"How do you know so much about it?" Sasha inquired.

"I was probably around 10 when it happened. I remember mum and dad..." His voice trailed off.

"What about mum and dad?"

"Nothing. Never mind. I just heard them talking about it, that's all." He said quickly. Sasha raised her eyebrows but, not wanting to start a row, left him alone.

"So this Black fellows has broken out of Azkaban then?"

"Yeah. First one to do it too. The Ministry will be having one hell of a time figuring out how he did it. If they even figure it out." Rob laughed, he reached for a quill and some paper and began dictating something to it.

"What do you think he's gonna do? I mean, where will he go?"

"Hell if I know. I wouldn't worry. There's no way he'd be dumb enough to go anywhere near Hogwarts."

A few days later, Sasha was boarded the Hogwarts Express to return. She found her friends easily and enjoyed a relaxing ride eating candy and laughing about their summer experiences. Sasha, Parvati, and Lavender told the story of their shopping trip fiasco to Seamus and Dean. It was all fun but Sasha soon left to find the twins. She hadn't seen them all summer as they had been in Egypt and she was really excited to be reunited with them. As she made her way down the train, she felt an odd sensation come over her. She felt cold, though the train was usually kept at a reasonably warm temperature. Then the train stopped, but that didn't make sense since they couldn't be at Hogwarts yet. Through a window she could see an odd mist surrounding the train. She ventured a little further, but the cold got worse, and she felt a feeling of dread seep over her. It wasn't just dread, it was hopelessness. Then, she saw it. Down the train, a huge black shrouded figure. She gasped. A dementor. She was frozen to the spot with fear. Rob had told her about them. About how they take away every happy memory. She desperately tried to think. Pranking with the twins. Shopping with the girls. Studying with Seamus. The beach with Rob. The thoughts wouldn't stick. Each time she thought them, they flew out and were replaced by her parents. Screaming at each other, at Rob, at her. She felt weak. Then suddenly, a hand gripped her forearm and she felt herself being tugged to the side. She fell into a compartment, breathing heavy. It was still cold, but the horrible feeling of sadness was diminished, though not entirely gone. She shakily pulled herself off the floor and turned to see Oliver Wood standing before her.

"Alright then?" He asked.

"Y-yeah." She said, breathing deeply.

"I can't believe Dumbledore would let this happen. You could've been seriously hurt!" Oliver exclaimed.

"Here sit down." He handed her a chocolate frog. "Chocolate helps." She sunk into a seat. The compartment was filled with 7th years, looking at her expectantly.

"I'm fine." She told them. "Just a dementor." She tried to give a casual laugh. It came out sounding strained. They went back to their conversations.

"Lucky I looked out the window." Oliver sat down next to her. "Saw you standing out there, white as a sheet. Felt the cold myself. Put two and two together. I figured there must be a dementor out there so naturally, the only thing I could do was get you out of harms way. I hope no one else was out there... Where were you going? Wait let me guess. Weasley twins?"

"Yeah. The dementor, I think he was looking for something. He was a ways down the train but I still felt the effects. He was looking in the compartments I think." Oliver nodded and stood. He went over to the door. Sasha reached out to stop him, but he waved her off. Cautiously, he opened the door just enough so his head could fit through and peered out.

"Gone." He announced. Sasha made to get up but he put his hand on her shoulder. "They could still be on the train. Stay here until we're in the station." He said it softly, but she knew it was a command. She knew it was for her own safety, so she obliged but grudgingly.

Sasha was on her feet the moment the train was in the station. She wanted to find her friends but Oliver seemed intent on following her.

"You can't go wandering off by yourself. Stick with me a bit longer." He pleaded. She nodded. It wasn't fair that Oliver bossed her around. It was even less fair that he was right. So she got into a carriage with Oliver and his friends. The ride consisted of him talking about his new quidditch game plan for the millionth time. Finally, the ride ended and they entered Hogwarts. No sooner had she stepped into the Great Hall then she found herself engulfed in a hug by a familiar red head.

"Hey Fred." She laughed.

"I'm not Fred." Pulling away, she realized that it was, in fact, George.

"I was-well we were so worried! When you didn't come to our compartment and with the dementors..." He exclaimed.

"We actually went looking for you. Went to your other compartment." The real Fred told her as she appeared. He also hugged her.

"When you weren't there we well..." George began

"We feared the worst." Fred shrugged. Sasha explained the story of the dementor and how she ended up with Oliver.

"Every time you go missing, we find you with that git." Fred grumbled.

"That git might have very well saved my life!" Sasha exclaimed.

"As long as you're okay." George told her.

"When did you get all sentimental?" She laughed.

Sasha was less than excited for her first divination lesson. After last year, she had no interest in seeing the future. Seamus on the other hand, was thrilled.

"Come on Sasha! Predict my future! Will I be rich? Famous? Who will I marry?" He asked as they walked to Divination.

"Shut up Seamus." She groaned. After a long trek, they finally made it to Professor Trelawney's classroom. They climbed up a long ladder into the heavily perfumed classroom. They flopped down into the large plush arm chairs. Professor Trelawney went on for some time about Divination, often throwing in random "predictions." Eventually, Trelawney told them to get teacups, fill them with tea, then drink the teas, leaving the dregs. She sat next to Seamus and she took his cup, and he took hers.

"What do you see Sasha?" He asked excitedly. "Riches? Fame?"

"I dunno Seamus. It just looks like a bunch of tea leaves." She said. That was the truth. She didn't see anything special in his tea.

"Not all of us possess the gift." Trelawney said, patting her head.

"Sasha does! She's predicted loads of stuff!" Seamus said.

"No, I haven't Seamus. Shut. Up." Sasha sad, Lavender was staring at her, mouth a gape like she was a god.

"I can't predict anything. I don't see anything in his tea." Sasha said loud enough for anyone near them to hear. "Seamus give it a rest." She growled under her breath.

"I'm only trying to help you get a better grade." He told her.

"I don't need it okay?"

"Fine." The rest of the class went about trying to see their future in lumps of tea leaves, and Trelawney making random predictions. At one point, she even predicted Harry's death. Lavender and Parvati were terrified of course but Sasha found the whole matter so laughable. Finally, class ended and they went to Transfiguration. McGonagall was talking about Animagi, she even transformed into a cat.

"I think I could be an Animagi. It'd be kinda cool to be like a tiger or something." Sasha said aloud.

"Really? That's what you're thinking about in a time like this?" Lavender said, looking positively maddened by sadness.

"Harry isn't going to die Lavender." Sasha laughed.

"Trelawney said he would. And she's an expert on these matters." Parvati told her.

"Hardly. I could predict things better than she can!"

"Yeah we know that's true." Seamus said.

"Shut it, Seamus."

After lunch, Sasha, Lavender and Parvati went down to Hagrid's cabin for Care of Magical Creatures.

"If he tries to pull dragons on us, I may freak out." Parvati announced.

"Dragons would be cool!" Sasha said.

"Being burnt to a crisp is not 'cool'." Parvati told her.

"Charlie, the twin's older brother, works with dragons. I think it's fantastic."

"I think it's scary."

"I hope we get to see unicorns or something." Lavender said

"Where would Hagrid get unicorns?" Sasha asked.

"Well, where would he get dragons?" Lavender said back.

"I dunno, he could probably get one."

"Then he could probably get a unicorn." Lavender concluded. When they reached the cabin, Hagrid announced they'd be walking a ways into the forest. They came to a clearing and Hagrid explained how to open their books. "Stroke the spine!" He told them like it was the most obvious thing on the planet. Then he brought out some of the most magnificent animals Sasha had ever seen. They were like horses, but with eagle heads, front feet, and wings. Hagrid explained they were Hippogriffs. She had never heard of them, but she wasn't surprised. Then Hagrid asked if anyone wanted to touch one. She did, so badly, but she was scared. It was Harry who finally volunteered. That made sense. Harry was the hero of the school. He stepped up and bowed. Sasha registered his every movement, for future reference. The creature bowed back and Harry stroked it. Then Hagrid told him he could ride it. Sasha was shocked. Harry climbed onto the Hippogriff, Buckbeak was his name, and he took off. Harry looked terrified, but Sasha was amazed. When Hagrid offered for anyone else to approach one, Sasha didn't hesitate. She was careful to bow, and the Hippogriff bowed back almost immediately. She wasn't afraid anymore. She confidently approached him and stroked his neck. He nuzzled against her hand. She grinned.

"'E's really takin' a likin' to yeh." Hagrid said. "Yer a natural." She was really enjoying the class when there was a commotion near the Slytherins. Buckbeak reared up and came down heavily. There was a yell and Hagrid rushed over. He walked briskly past Sasha, and towards the castle. He was carrying Draco Malfoy. The group slowly returned to the castle. Sasha looked at the Hippogriffs, which were now wandering about freely. They had wings. If they were left for too long, they would fly away. Slowly, she approached one and bowed. It bowed back. She carefully picked up a collar and looped it around the Hippogriff's neck. She did the same for the rest of them, then headed back towards the castle. On the way back, she ran into Hagrid.

"Can' stop ter chat. Lef' th' 'ippogriffs alone. Might've flown off. Can' let tha' 'appen." He said and he walked briskly past.

"Oh I chained them all up for you." Sasha told him.

"Did yeh now? An' they didn' attack yeh?" Hagrid said, confused.

"No, they were quite tame actually." Sasha said. "But I'm going to be late for my next class if I don't hurry. Goodbye Professor."

Hogwarts was really fun that year. And so far, there didn't seem to be any imminent threat of monsters that year. They had a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but that was nothing new. His name was Professor Lupin. A bit on the scruffy side.

"Looks a bit homeless." Seamus whispered to her in their first class.

"Shh Seamus. Let's see how class goes." Lupin introduced himself and took them to the staff room. The room was mostly cleared except a large wardrobe. Lupin told them it was a Boggart. Sasha vaguely remembered hearing something about boggarts, but she couldn't really remember. There was a spectacular show as Neville made "Snape" wear his grandmother's clothing. Everyone lined up to have a go. It was quite the learning experience.

"I had no idea you were afraid of banshees." Sasha told Seamus.

"What are you afraid of?" He asked her.

"You'll see." She told him. And soon it was her turn. She walked to the front of the boggart spun very quickly so it's shape was undetectable. Then, like a blast, a bunch of different figures shot out, surrounding her. They were people, but she didn't recognize their faces. She felt the familiar panic set in. Somewhere, deep inside her, a voice sounded. It wasn't a tangible voice that she could place, exactly, but she knew what it was saying.

"Ridikkulus!" She shouted. The crowd which had been moving un naturally fast, slowed down so they were almost barely moving. Then they all started tripping and falling all over themselves. Sasha burst out laughing at the dog pile before her and returned to the class.

"You're afraid of people?" Seamus asked.

"Crowds. Ochlophobia. That's the proper term." She corrected.

"I didn't know that." He said.

"It's not something I openly flaunt." She laughed.

"Does anyone know?" He asked.

"Oliver." She said.

"Of course Oliver would know."

"I didn't exactly tell him. He sort of found out."

"When?"

"Um, the minute I stepped off the Hogwarts Express..."

"Alright."

"First year." She added.

"First year? He's known for three years? I'm your best friend!" Seamus exclaimed. The room got quiet. Sasha giggled.

"Sorry. Everyone." Seamus said awkwardly. Sasha laughed.

"Calm down Seamus. You're my best friend. I just never thought to tell you about it. It's really not important." She whispered.

"Well, alright then." He said, a bit embarrassed.

"Besides, you never told me you were afraid of banshees." She pointed out. "So we're cool then?"

"Yeah we're cool." He grinned.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: I finally got this chapter finished! I'm trying to get through quick but I have still have some writer's block. 1 or 2 more chapters and we'll be moving on to the Goblet of Fire which happens to be my favorite book so updates should come more frequently. I know I keep promising that but I mean it this time. I only got 1 review from the last chapter :(. So please review! It inspires me to hurry up my writing! Thank you everyone!**

Into October, Everything at Hogwarts was going well. Lavender and Parvati were spending most of their time, including lunches with Trelawney. After the somewhat disastrous first Care of Magical Creatures class, Hagrid had them working mostly with Flobberworms. Sasha had tried to convince him that there were things less dangerous than Hippogriffs that were more interesting than Flobberworms but he was pretty shaken up. Then there was the ever present matter of Fred and George teaching her their ways. That days "lesson" was being held in one of the bell towers.

"Is there a reason you two dragged me up here?" Sasha asked as she attempted to control her hair. It was quite windy and she was rather cold.

"Of course." Fred told her.

"We always have reasoning." George added.

"What is it then?"

"We have something to show you." Fred announced. He pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket.

"A piece of parchment? Honestly guys, did you have to bring me all the way up here to show me a piece of parchment?" She asked, eyeing the paper skeptically.

"It's not just-" Fred began.

"It's more like-" George tried.

"Oh just show her." Fred told George.

"Alright, remember this part because it's important." George instructed Sasha. He tapped the parchment with his wand and recited. "_I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."_ Suddenly, as though an invisible hand were writing on the parchment, words began to appear.

"_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, & Prongs are Proud to present The Maurader's Map"_

"Maurader's Map? What is this?" Sasha asked.

"Open it." Fred beamed. For a moment, she didn't understand what she was seeing. It seemed to be a map of Hogwarts but it was...moving?

"Is that...us?" She asked, pointing to the Bell Tower on the map, where 3 figures we shown, labeled with each of their names.

"And, there's Seamus, studying with Dean. And Lavender and Parvati in the Divination tower. This is amazing!"

"Knew you'd like it." George said happily.

"Where'd you guys get this?" She asked, still mesmerized by the map.

"Nicked it in our first year." Fred said triumphantly.

"Why didn't you show me sooner?" She asked.

"One lesson at a time." George told her.

"We're really only telling you because you need to learn the secret passages. We have some plans for this map." Fred said. Sasha expected to see a devious look in his eyes as usual but instead it was more pensive.

"We haven't made any decisions yet." George said, giving Fred a look. "This one, always getting ahead of himself." He laughed a bit. The twins then showed her the important passages to remember. She couldn't imagine why they would want to get rid of such a brilliant invention, but they usually had some sort of plan so she didn't question it. As she began to walk down the stairs and out of the tower, when the twins called out to her.

"Don't forget about the Hogsmeade trip coming up!" George told her.

"You got your permission slip right? Ickle Sasha." Fred laughed, playfully pinching her cheek.

"Yes, I did." She said, batting his hand away.

"Right, it might be a good time to test out one of the secret passageways." George told her.

"I've never been there before. Maybe I should learn to get there simply by walking first." She suggested.

"That's no fun Sasha. You have to think like a prankster, to be a prankster. You can quote me on that." Fred said, flashing his signature grin.

"_We'll let you use the map._" George sung, tantalizingly waving the map under her nose.

"Fine." She snatched the map. "But, if I get lost walking to Hogsmeade next time, you lot will owe me."

A few weeks later, Sasha tapped the map like she was told and said what she was supposed to.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The map revealed itself. She could see the figures moving about on it. Most people were heading off of the map's boundaries, except for the first and second years. She spotted Fred and George walking with Lee, just steps away from the school's exit. She watched as they disappeared from the map. The entrance to the secret passage was behind a statue of a hag. Just as she was about to slip into the dark cavelike passage, she noticed something on the map. There was Parvati, in Trelawney's tower, but Lavender wasn't there. That was strange, even stranger was that when she did find Lavender, she was walking with Seamus into Hogsmeade. Of course, Sasha knew they were friends, but she had never seen them together alone. Parvati or Dean or her was always there with them. She felt a pang of something in the pit of her stomach, but she quickly dismissed it. The twins were expecting her to arrive in Honeydukes any minute now. She hurried through the passage. Just as the twins had told her, she arrived in the cellar of Honeydukes. She quickly moved into the main room. It was quite spectacular. The store had every kind of candy imaginable. Sasha was glad she had brought her pocket money.

"There she is!" Fred announced tossing his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey you haven't seen Seamus have you?" She asked, glancing out the window.

"What? That git? No why do you ask?" Fred said.

"Don't call him that Fred. I would really appreciate if you tried to get along with him." Sasha pleaded. But there was still no sign of Seamus or Lavender.

"You didn't see Lavender either? Were they together?" She asked.

"Why all the questions Sash?" George asked, eyeing some cockroach clusters, as if deciding whether or not they were okay to eat.

"I just, saw them on the map and I wondered if they had gotten here alright." Sasha said. That wasn't a lie. Why else would she be wondering where they are? Fred gave her a strange look, but then shrugged.

"Grab all the sweets you can and we'll go for butterbeers." He told her as Lee arrived with a couple of sugar quills. A bit later, the four of them settled in a booth drinking butterbeer and joking around like the friends they were.

"And I have to deal Trelawney constantly predicting the most ridiculous stuff. She keeps telling Harry he's going to die." Sasha laughed as they discussed their classes.

"That's a load of bullocks. In our third year, she was convinced that Fred was You-Know-Who reincarnated." George said as he gasped for breath through his laughter.

"Oi, there's no proof he's not!" Lee exclaimed.

"Boys, I'm sure Fred's not evil." Sasha giggled.

"No, no. Guys, I have a confession to make. I am He Who Must Not Be Named." Fred's eyes were wide, a small smile was playing at his lips. The four of them burst into hysterics. It was the way friends should be. Eventually, they had downed all the butterbeer they could hold and walked back to the castle. They returned to the school for an amazing Halloween feast, then they set off to the common rooms. There was a crowd surrounding the entrance and no one was going in.

"What's going on?" Sasha asked a bystander.

"She's gone! The fat lady's gone!" Sasha and her friends pushed through the crowd to see the empty background of the portrait, with three distinct slashes through the canvas. They see Peeves floating nearby and he announces that Sirius Black attacked the fat lady. They were led to the Great Hall to sleep. Sasha scanned the hall. She spotted Seamus, Dean, Parvati, and Lavender on one side of the hall. Lavender seemed to be preparing to set up next to Seamus. Sasha hurried over to get there first when someone grabbed her arm.

"Fred! We've talked about this! Use your words!" Sasha said exasperatedly.

"Sorry, come on and set up near us." He said pulling her towards George and Lee. Sasha looked back to her other friends to see Lavender was now stretched out next to Seamus, laughing at something. Another pang went through Sasha's stomach. She settled next to Fred, whilst keeping an eye on them.

"So Sirius Black is at Hogwarts then." Lee said decidedly.

"It was only a matter of time." George shrugged.

"He's after Harry right?" Fred asked. Was it just her, or were Seamus and Lavender's sleeping bags closer than the others?

"That's what I heard." Lee said.

"He kept saying 'He's at Hogwarts. He's at Hogwarts.' Just before he broke out of Azkaban." George nodded solemnly.

"Then again, he could just be jealous of my good looks, and out to get me." Fred grinned. "Eh, Sash? Sasha?" Fred elbowed her.

"Hm? What? Oh, funny Fred." She could've sworn Seamus and Lavender were whispering to each other. She wished she had an excuse to go over there... Over her shoulder, Fred furrowed his eyebrows. He wasn't used to such a lack of attention.

"Sasha..." He said tentatively.

"What Fred?" She snapped, irritated.

"Um, nothing. Never mind." He rolled over in his sleeping bag and fell into a dreamless sleep.

November came and the twins spent a majority of their time practicing Quidditch. Sasha spent a lot of time with her other friends, but she hadn't seen the twins in three days and it was getting ridiculous.

"Oliver, are you trying to completely monopolize my friends?" She asked him when she caught him in the corridors after class.

"I can't help it if we need training. We have a great team, but we still need work if we want to win the house cup. We're going to win the house cup. This is my last year. So naturally, you can understand that the whole team needs to put in a great amount of time." Oliver pulled his usual charm.

"Well, their grades are slipping, not that they were too great to begin with. So give them some days off alright?" Sasha demanded.

"Who are you, their mother?" Oliver laughed.

"I'm not joking Oliver." She told him.

"I know, I know. McGonagall's been on me about giving them a break as well. So, we're all set." He grinned and patted her head.

"I do not see past your facade you know." Sasha told him with a smirk that could rival Fred's.

"What's my facade?" He laughed.

"You're acting very confident, but we both know your scared about losing the house cup as usual." She told him.

"Am I that transparent?" He asked.

"I guess after three years, I've picked up on a few things." She laughed. She returned to the dorm room to find her friends. Lavender and Parvati were sitting on a couch, heads bowed, but Sasha could tell something was wrong. Lavender saw her and stood up. Tears were flowing from her eyes and she held a piece of paper in her hands.

"Oh Sasha!" Lavender cried.

"What's happened?" Sasha asked as Lavender pulled her into a hug.

"Oh it's awful!" She sobbed.

"Oi, what's wrong with Lavender?" Seamus asked as he and Dean stepped through the portrait hole.

"Why is he so concerned?" Sasha thought, but she quickly realized he was just being a good friend.

"Lavender tell us what's happened." Sasha said, smoothing her friend's hair.

"It's Binky! My rabbit! He's been killed by a fox!" She sobbed.

"Oh Lavender, I'm so sorry." Dean said.

"Yeah Lav. I'm sorry too." Seamus said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"It's what Trelawney predicted!" Lavender exclaimed.

"What?" Sasha asked.

"Do you realize what day it is?" Lavender asked.

"Friday?" Dean asked.

"November 19th!" Lavender cried.

"But, that's the day Trelawney said the thing you've been dreading will happen!" Parvati exclaimed, eyes wide with fear, and possibly excitement.

"You can't be serious. If she had predicted the bad thing to happen yesterday, you would've said the thing you've been dreading is Snape's potions test!" At that moment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all entered the dormitories and also began to berate Trelawney's prediction.

The day of the first Quidditch match of the season, the weather was horrible. That next to the fact that Sir Cadogan replaced the Fat Lady, and Snape was teaching their Defense Against the Dark Arts, it was fixing to be a pretty bad day.

"Why so glum?" Fred asked as they walked through the corridors. He was going to the locker rooms and she, the Quidditch pitch.

"It's just one of those days where everything goes wrong." She sighed.

"Yeah I know how that is. It'll get better." He said, squeezing her shoulder in a comforting way.

"No, I don't think it will." Sasha said thoughtfully. She had one of those feelings. If anything, today would get worse.

"Sorry, I've got to go. See you in a bit." He gave her and apologetic look and started towards the locker rooms.

"Oh, Fred!" She called after him.

"What?" He turned around.

"Stay safe alright? It's nasty out there." She told him.

"I always do." He grinned.

As if to make things worse, when she finally made her way through the hurricane-like weather and into the stands, she found Parvati and Dean, but no sign of Seamus or Lavender.

"They were with us, must've gotten lost while we were walking down here." Dean shrugged. Sasha frowned. There was just something about the thought of them slinking around together that sounded wrong. Eventually, Neville showed up and just moments before the game started, Lavender and Seamus appeared.

"Where have you been?" She asked him as Lavender went of to chatter with Parvati.

"We got lost." He said, focused on the game.

"That's likely! We've only been going here for three years!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Have you seen this weather? You can't see two feet in front of you! The second we stepped out of the castle we were completely lost! Why do you care anyways?" He asked, still not looking away from the match. There wasn't much to see. Occasionally, you could see the flash of someone's Quidditch robes and they rushed by, or the stiff movements of a bludger.

"I was concerned. You guys could've slipped or...or something!" Sasha said, trying to sound like that was what she thought all along. Seamus finally turned and looked at her. He scrutinized her for a second but seemed satisfied. For the rest of the game, they tried to watch, though it was difficult. Eventually they got the hang of it and were able to at least make out the silhouettes of the players. The one by the goal was clearly Oliver, and they could recognize the twins by how they were constantly swinging their arms. That left the three chasers and Harry, who they decided was probably the one staying out of the action, and circling the stadium. Suddenly, Harry shot off like a rocket.

"He's seen the Snitch!" Someone cried. It looked like he was going to get it, he was ahead of Cedric Diggory; the Hufflepuff Seeker. Then, just like that, Harry was falling.

"Are those-" But Sasha's suspicions of what she might have seen below Harry were drowned out by the cries of shock and fear around her. Lavender was sobbing.

"She was right! Harry's going to die! Trelawney is always right!" Despite the ongoing situation, Sasha scoffed at her friend's naivety. However, Sasha was quickly brought back to the present as Seamus exclaimed

"Look!" Someone in the stands was casting a spell which seemed to be slowing Harry's fall. Once he was safely on the ground, everyone was clambering to get out of the stands and into the castle. Sasha went with the crowd and went to the locker rooms. The twins came out almost immediately.

"You guys okay?" They were soaking wet and covered in mud but other than that, they looked fine.

"Yeah we're alright." Fred said.

"Harry though..." George looked a bit nervous.

"We were just going to the Hospital Wing to see him."

"You should come a long." George told her. They went up to see him but he was passed out. Eventually, he awoke. He had suffered minor injuries but he'd be okay. The most disturbing part, was the fact that he had fallen off of his broom because of dementors.

"I can't believe they attacked a student! On school grounds!" Sasha exclaimed as the sat quietly at a table in the common room. Everyone was somber after the match.

"It was only a matter of time." George shrugged.

"Those things only want one thing." Fred said.

"Are you talking about dementors, or men?" Sasha asked. They began laughing, easing the atmosphere but it felt weird. Everyone else in the common room looked at them like they were crazy.

"There's not much to worry about now though-"

"There's no way Dumbledore will allow them back on the grounds. I'll be surprised if he doesn't send them back to Azkaban." Fred finished for his brother.

"Of course, now we have to worry about Harry's Quidditch performance without his Nimbus 2000." George said with a grin which sent them in another round of laughter, which led to more strange looks from everyone else.

"People just don't understand us." Fred said, leaning back in his chair.

"Us pranksters, were a special breed." George nodded.

As the next month passed, not much notable happened. Hagrid was distraught as there was a ministry inquiry about Buckbeak, but Sasha felt sure he'd end up okay. Another Hogsmeade trip was announced, and Sasha made sure to plan to go with Seamus. The night before the trip, the twins announced that they were getting rid of the map.

"You're getting rid of it? You're joking!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Not really getting rid of-" George corrected.

"More like giving it away." Fred told her.

"Who are you giving it to?" She asked.

"Someone who's needs are greater than ours." George told her.

The next day, Sasha and Seamus started towards Hogsmeade. It was a chilly day so the two were bundled up warmly. As they walked, Sasha thought about the twins and how they had probably given the map away already. It was a shame really, the map could've really come in handy.

"Want to grab some butterbeers?" Seamus asked.

"Please! I'm freezing!" Sasha rubbed her hands together and blew into them. They settled into a booth.

"T-two butterb-beers." Seamus shivered as Madame Rosemerta took their order. She brought them two mugs swiftly. They both chugged theirs and let out sighs of relief as the liquid warmed them. Suddenly, two lanky figures came bustling in.

"Hey Sash!" Fred called as he and his twin made their way over to Sasha and Seamus's table. George sat down next to Sasha and Fred next to Seamus, sliding down to crush Seamus against the wall.

"Oh, sorry mate. Didn't see you there." Fred said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oi! Rosemerta! Two more butterbeers!" Called George. Rosemerta gave him a disdainful look, clearly not thrilled about being hailed from across the room.

"Did you get rid of the map?" Sasha asked.

"What map?" Said Seamus.

"None of your business you little git." Fred growled. Then his tone softened. "Yeah we gave it to someone." He told Sasha. Madame Rosemerta bustled over and pointedly slammed some glasses down in front of the twins. George winked at Rosemerta and she gave him a look of disgust.

"I think she fancies me." He announced as she walked away.

"I think she spat in your drinks." Sasha giggled.

"I would." Seamus mumbled.

"What was that, Finnigan?" George asked, glaring at Seamus which was odd because George usually didn't fight much with Seamus.

"I said, I would spit in your drink." Seamus said angrily.

"You prat!" Fred yelled.

"Fred!" Sasha kicked him under the table.

"Ouch! Sasha what was that for?" He exclaimed.

"Would you stop being so mean?"

"He started it! And George was doing the same." Sasha proceeded to kick Seamus and smack George on the back of his head.

"Ouch!" They said in unison.

"What is with you guys that makes you fight incessantly?" She exclaimed. "Not really you George but I'm still mad at you." She added in an undertone. "But honestly, I'm getting really tired of it." She stood up and stormed from the bar.

"Now look what you've done!" Fred exclaimed.

"This is not my fault! We were getting along perfectly until you showed up, uninvited I might add." Seamus said.

"We don't need to be invited, we're her best friends!"

"Hardly!"

"Really? What about when your busy sneaking around with Lavender Brown?" Fred sneered.

"How did you...But I'm not...Does Sasha think...?" Seamus stammered.

"Maybe we should leave Fred." George said calmly.

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

To be honest, the twins were used to Sasha ignoring them. It wasn't enjoyable, but they knew she wasn't mad. Just trying to teach them a lesson. Seamus was a little more distraught, but he couldn't blame her. It was the day before they all boarded the train for the holidays when the twins approached him, which was a rare occurrence.

"What do you want?" He practically spat.

"We were going to help you, you ungrateful-" Fred was cut off by George, who put his arm out to calm his brother.

"We know Sasha isn't talking to you, and she's not talking to us either. And it's pretty obvious that in order to get her to talk to us, we're going to have to become friends."

"Us? Friends?" Seamus laughed. He couldn't imagine not hating the twins, or more specifically Fred. George nudged his brother a bit, as if coaxing him to say something.

"Do you even remember why we started fighting?" Fred asked. Seamus could not. There must've been some event or happening that caused such an intense dislike, but none came to mind.

"...Not really." He said finally.

"Yeah. Me neither." Fred shrugged, then his voice became hostile again. "But that doesn't mean I want to be all buddy buddy with you." He poked Seamus in the chest. All Fred knew was that he didn't like Seamus, and that was that. He didn't need a reason. Something about the Irish boy made him want to hurt him.

"Well, I don't exactly want to skip down the halls holding hands either." Seamus barked.

"Calm down. We're not asking for a lifelong friendship. All we need, is for Sasha to believe we've put aside our differences." George told Seamus.

"Problem is, I've taught her well. She's not as easily fooled as most girls." Fred said, thinking hard.

"So we have to trick her into thinking we're friends?" Seamus said.

"Or at least, civil towards one another." George shrugged.

"Alright, I guess it's worth a shot." Seamus nodded.

"Yeah we'd hate to go on holiday with her ignoring us." George said.

"It's just not quite as fun." Fred agreed.

The train left the next morning on time, with all the students piled in and sitting comfortably in their compartments. Except, of course, the Weasley twins and Seamus Finnigan who were sharing a compartment, despite their differences. Seamus sat closest to the door, looking out almost desperately as if hoping someone would rescue him. George sat across from him, nervously tapping his wand against his leg, with the occasional result of sparks flying from it. Fred sat next to George silently, occasionally shooting Seamus a cold glare. Eventually, Fred let out an exasperated sigh.

"Can we get on with it so _he-_" Fred said the word as though it was something disgusting. "-can leave?" He looked pointedly at Seamus.

"Yes, let's just clear this mess up and part ways for good." Seamus nodded vigorously.

"Alright, but you two better be convincing. She's not going to fall for it unless it's brilliant." George told them.

"Don't worry, I think it'll work out just fine." Fred assured his brother. The three left their compartment and headed down the train to where Sasha was in a compartment with Neville, Lavender, and Parvati. They stood at a point so the four people in the compartment couldn't see them.

"They replaced me with Longbottom?" Seamus said indignantly.

"Sounds like an upgrade to me." Fred laughed. Seamus turned red but held his tongue. In the compartment, Lavender stood up and said something to the others then exited the compartment. As she walked out, she left the sliding door open just a crack so the noise of the corridor could be heard by the other three. She approached Seamus and the twins.

"1 o' clock, just like you said." She told Seamus.

"Thanks Lav." He said, then leaving her behind, he walked in front of the door, and began laughing a fairly convincing fake laugh.

"Fred!" He exclaimed. "You are too much! Stop making me laugh! My sides hurt!"

"Oh Seamus," Fred said with a grin. "I don't even know why I didn't like you. You're such a great guy."

"I have an idea! Seamus, you should come visit for a bit this summer!" George announced. Fred made an alarmed face, but it almost immediately turned back into his jovial smile.

"_Tone it down, George._" He whispered through gritted teeth.

"I couldn't!" Seamus said. "I'm much to busy, what with this World Cup this summer and all." Fred gave him a small, genuine smile. Sasha, who had watched this occurrence from inside the compartment stepped out.

"You have got to be kidding me." She said.

"Oh Sasha! I didn't know you were in there." Fred said, kind of convincingly.

"I honestly thought you guys would come up with something better than this. Like, Seamus would save your life or something." Sasha sighed.

"What?" Said Seamus.

"Saving lives? That's a good one, though I'd be saving him." Fred said.

"Yeah right. I wouldn't want you to save me!" Seamus growled.

"You're about to be in a situation where you'll need saving." Fred threatened.

"Guys, calm down. Would you like some time to rethink and try again?" She asked.

"Yeah we could probably...Wait no!" Fred said, almost falling for her sarcasm. She broke into hysterics.

"She wasn't..." George said in disbelief.

"Is that even possible?" Fred asked.

"What are you talking about?" Seamus exclaimed.

"She pranked us! She bloody pranked us!" Fred exclaimed before bursting out laughing himself. Realization dawned on Seamus and he too began to laugh.

"We may have taught you too well!" Fred said.

"The student has become the teacher." George mused, followed by more laughter.

"It was too funny, I must admit. Watching you guys pretend to be friends." Sasha grinned.

"You are pure evil!" Seamus said.

"Maybe, you guys can learn to stop fighting for real." Sasha said, raising her eyebrows. Fred and Seamus looked at each other appraisingly for a few moments. Then, slowly, Fred extended his hand. Seamus took it.

"Truce." Seamus said.

"For now." Fred added with a devilish grin.


	18. Chapter 18

The winter break was long and tedious. With Sirius Black still on the run, Rob and Mr. Vogel were constantly at work leaving Sasha all alone in her house with her mother. Her mother spent her days entertaining guests and Sasha spent her days avoiding them. She spent a considerable amount of time in her room. Hermione had sent her some of her favorite books, so that kept her entertained for most of the time. Two days after Christmas, Sasha was lying on her bed flipping through a book when there was a loud crack. She turned to see Nook the House elf standing in the middle of the room.

"Miss Sasha, Mistress Jaqueline requires your presence downstairs." He announced.

"What does she want?" Sasha snapped. The elf cringed in fear. "Oh, sorry um, why does she need me?" Sasha asked in a kinder tone.

"Nook does not know. He only does as his Mistress commands."

"Of course. She would send the House Elf to get me. Can't be bothered to walk up the stairs, or even look me in the eye for that matter." Sasha grumbled.

"Yes, Miss Sasha." Nook said nervously and disappeared with another crack. Sasha slowly made her way downstairs.

"Hello Sasha!" Her mother said. Her voice didn't have it's usual amount of cold distain in it and there might have been a small smile on her face, but perhaps it was a grimace. There seemed to be someone with her but Sasha couldn't tell as they were blocked by a statue that stood in the entrance hall. As she descended the stairs, puzzled, to heads of matching pale blond hair came into view.

"I was just telling Narcissa how well you've been doing in school." Her mother said in a tone that might have been considered friendly. Narcissa Malfoy turned and gave Sasha a curt nod. Her presence explained her mother's friendliness. Mrs. Vogel was constantly competing with Narcissa and being kind to your children was one thing Narcissa did not excel at.

"Yes, Jaqueline I heard she was put into Gryffindor, what a shame." Narcissa said in a pseudo friendly voice. Sasha wasn't sure if Narcissa meant it was a shame that she was put in Gryffindor, or a shame that her mother had a non Slytherin family member. Sasha's mother turned red, well, more like a light shade of pink.

"Yes, well as you know Dumbledore has never been a fan of Harold and I, it was only a matter of time before he took his anger out on a member of our family. We're just thankful Rob got spared." Jaqueline said, as though she had rehearsed this, which she probably had. "I tried to reason with him, but the man is impossible."

"I know! Did you hear that poor Draco was attacked by some horrid beast in one of his classes? And Dumbledore refused to fire the half blood teacher that allowed it!" Narcissa said, forgetting the topic of Sasha's sorting.

"Let's go into the living room. Nook!" The house elf appeared. "Bring Narcissa and I some tea."

"Yes, Mistress Jaqueline." Nook said.

"Sasha, perhaps you and Draco could take a walk around the gardens." Mrs. Vogel suggested. Up until that moment, Sasha had been ignoring his presence entirely. Sasha opened her mouth to protest, but her mother and Mrs. Malfoy were walking away, Narcissa lecturing her mother that she was much to kind to her house elf. Sasha was sure her mother would make a comment on the fact the Malfoys didn't have a house elf anymore, but they had left the room before Sasha could hear it. Sasha was left standing awkwardly in the entrance hall with Draco. She considered retreating to her room, but Draco would relish telling her mother that she had ditched him.

"Come on then." She sighed. The "garden" as her mother called it was mostly just a bunch of finely pruned bushes, small well manicured trees, and marble statues without so much as a speck of dirt on them. Sasha's idea of a garden was more like brightly colored flowers and huge climbing trees with butterflies floating around but, god forbid the Vogel House have any sort of color in it. Sasha plopped down on a bench, having every intention to sit out there quietly, until a sufficient amount of time had passed. Draco sat awkwardly next to her and silence filled the air. Sasha tilted her head up and watched the clouds go by. Had it been long enough for her mother to believe they had a stimulating conversation? Probably not. After what felt like an eternity, but was more like a few minutes, Draco spoke up.

"You could be so much better." He said quietly.

"What?" Sasha asked, cautious.

"You come from a powerful family, you have every resource you need to be a great witch, and you throw it away." Strangely, he didn't sound like he was making fun of her, he simply sounded confused.

"I'm not throwing anything away. I can be just as good of a witch in Gryffindor." Sasha said angrily.

"Maybe your skills would be the same, but being a great witch isn't just about magical talent."

"That's ridiculous. Of course it is." Sasha snapped.

"Let me give you a scenario. Two wizards of equal skill apply for the same job at the Ministry of Magic. One of them, is a Gryffindor from a ho hum nothing special family. The other, is a Slytherin from a family like one of ours. Who will get the job?" Draco smirked.

"I don't care about that. We don't have to worry about that for years." Sasha told him.

"Then think about your family. They're the laughing stock of the Ministry." Draco pointed out. "I might even say, your family is rivaling the Weasleys these days." Draco laughed coldly. Inside the house, Narcissa and Jaqueline looked out at their children.

"What a cute couple they make." Jaqueline mused.

"I wouldn't get ahead of myself Jaqueline, your daughter hardly has the proper reputation my son requires." Narcissa said sternly.

"Now, now Narcissa. Sasha may be rough around the edges, but she still comes from a pureblood Slytherin family." Jaqueline reminded her friend. "Good luck finding another one of those." Narcissa made a face.

"There have been rumors Jaqueline. Some of the others are saying your blood might not be as...pure as you claim." Narcissa snarled.

"Are you insinuating...that I am not...?" Mrs. Vogel could not even finish her sentence. Narcissa simply smiled and took a sip of tea. "Perhaps you should collect Draco and go." Jaqueline said through gritted teeth.

"Oh but Jackie, we were just starting to have fun." Narcissa told her friend.

Back outside, Sasha snapped.

"How dare you insult my family? But even more so, how dare you insult the Weasleys? Just because they care about people and don't judge people on their blood status, you call them a laughing stock? Honestly Draco, I look down on your family for treating everyone else like scum." Draco looked furious.

"How dare you-"

"Draco!" Mrs. Malfoy called. "We're leaving. It seems we've overstayed our welcome."

"Yes, you have." Sasha muttered.

Her mother didn't mention why the Malfoys left in such a hurry and Sasha didn't care as long as they were gone. Her mother quickly reverted to her former cold self but Sasha could hardly mind. She went back to her room, and mostly stayed there for the remainder of the holiday. Returning to Hogwarts was like a breath of fresh air.

"Did you hear?" Seamus asked he slid in next to her in the Great Hall at dinner.

"That Pansy had a nose job over the break? Lavender said she did but I think she's as pug like as ever." Sasha mused, staring intently at the Slytherin girl.

"What? No! Actually, now that you mention it, something looks different but her nose still looks all scrunched up..." Seamus also looked at the girl. "Maybe it's just the way she's always scowling or... Wait, I actually had something to tell you!" Seamus exclaimed.

"Oh okay...But maybe it's her hair though..." Sasha still wasn't entirely focused on Seamus.

"Harry got a new broom!" Seamus told her.

"Did he now? Maybe her squinty eyes make her nose look all...puggy. Is that a word?" Sasha asked absentmindedly. Seamus eyed her.

"No Sasha it's not." Seamus told her.

"I didn't think so." Sasha sighed.

"His new broom is a Firebolt." Seamus added.

"Oh that's great. Where'd he get it?" Sasha asked, slightly more interested.

"That's the thing. No one knows." Seamus said, excitement flickering in his eyes.

"I guess Gryffindors ensured a win then." Sasha said contentedly.

"Not exactly." Oliver Woods sat next to her and took a huge bite out of some chicken. There were bags under his eyes and he looked pale.

"Are you alright Oliver?" Sasha asked him.

"Yeah I've just been busy and to top it off, Harry finally gets new broom and McGonagall won't let him use it because she's afraid it's jinxed!" Oliver moaned. "Hand me that." He growled at Seamus. He gave a start and passed Oliver a bowl of potatoes which Oliver heaped onto his plate muttering something about Harry having fallen off his broom before. Sasha stood and patted him gently on the back before she and Seamus snuck out of the hall.

Harry eventually did get his Firebolt, just in time for the match against Ravenclaw. The whole common room was thrilled and everyone wanted to hold it. The gathering was broken up with a fight between Ron and Hermione. Apparently, her cat had eaten his rat.

"If only they could've eaten each other." Sasha sighed. She was not a cat person. Fred laughed and gave her a gentle nudge with his elbow. The day of the match, everyone was positively on edge. Sasha was caught between separately calming Fred, George, and Oliver. Oliver was definitely the worst. He was a nervous wreck. She finally convinced him to eat, and do some deep breathing, and went down to the stands. The game was thrilling and ended with Harry narrowly catching the Snitch. There was also some "Dementors" that turned out to be Draco and his goons. Sasha felt tired so she skipped that night's celebration and went to bed.

There was something in the shadows. Everything was blurry. A tree. It looked so familiar. Sasha tried to get closer but she felt like she was moving through thick honey. Something was stirring under the tree, small, graceful. Some sort of animal. It padded away and was followed by a larger animal. This one moved clumsier. Now that she was looking at it, it didn't look so much like an animal. It was almost...a man? Then she was in the dorm. But not the girls dorm. There was Harry, Dean, Neville and Seamus. Seamus looked so cute when he slept... This was not the time. There was someone else in the room. Someone else who shouldn't be there. A dark figure looming over a bed. Ron's bed. He was holding something...It was still so blurry. She couldn't quite see what...

"Ron look out!" Sasha was in her bed, drenched in sweat. The dream was slowly fading from her consciousness. Her hands were shaking. Had she just screamed? None of the other girls had woken up. She slowly laid back in her bed, and began to fall back asleep when there was a shout in the boys dormitory. Maybe it was her imagination. She couldn't sleep now though. She hurried into the boys dormitory to find everyone awake and Ron looking like he was going to be sick.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Sasha! What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"I heard someone yell...What's happened?"

"Sirius Black was here!" Ron exclaimed.

"No...That's not possible!" The dream, which Sasha had almost forgotten, came hurtling back to her.

"It is! It happened!" He cried.

"Ron that's ridiculous!" Seamus said.

"I believe him." Seamus gave Sasha a quizzical look, she shrugged. After everything was sorted, they discovered that Black had gotten in using Neville's list of passwords. Sasha felt bad for the guy, but a little upset too, and unnerved by the fact that Black had just been a few steps away. She comfortingly put her hand on Neville's shoulder.

"Miss Vogel. May I ask what you are doing in the _boy's dormitory_?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"I'm sorry professor. I heard Ron shout and I got worried." Sasha said. McGonagall gave her a skeptical look.

"Honest professor. She didn't do anything wrong." Harry spoke up. Sasha gave him a grateful look.

"Very well. You should return to your proper dormitory this instant."

"Yes, Professor McGonagall." Sasha moved from the room.

"We'll talk later." She whispered to Seamus before stepping out the door.

"You had another vision?" Seamus exclaimed the next morning at breakfast.

"Sh! Don't yell to the entire hall!" Sasha told her friend. "And it wasn't a vision! It was a dream."

"But, you saw Black standing over Ron's bed with a knife?" Seamus asked.

"I think so...It was all so jumbled up. At first I thought he was like, an animal or something. Then there was this tree. I had definitely seen it before." Sasha thought hard but she couldn't place where she had seen it.

"You've got to figure out how to control these dreams. If Ron hadn't woken up last night..."

"I don't want to think about that, okay?" Sasha buried her head in her hands.

"I-I want to help." Seamus said quietly.

"Well you can't! If something had happened to Ron, and I was the only one who could've... Do you know what that's like?" Sasha snapped.

"I'm trying to understand!" Seamus exclaimed.

"You can't understand! You don't get it! You can't do anything! You're useless!" Tears were streaming from her eyes and down her face. Seamus was standing, face contorted with rage. Luckily, the hall had mostly cleared out and the few people left were quick to avoid the escalating fight between the two.

"I'm trying to help you." Seamus said coldly.

"Yeah? How Seamus? What helpful thing have you one, at all, in the past three years?" Sasha didn't give him time to respond. She stormed from the hall and searched for a place to be alone to blow off steam. She was so angry and upset and...scared. She didn't want to be alone. But she couldn't be around Seamus. Somehow, she ended up in the Herbology greenhouse. The air felt fresh in there and nothing seemed to be in danger of killing her so she flopped into the dirt and sobbed. There was a crash on the other side of the greenhouse. Sasha whipped out her wand and turned to the sound.

"Neville?"

"I-I'm sorry! I was just leaving. You obviously want to be left alone." Neville turned to leave but strangely enough, Neville seemed to be the exact person she wanted t talk to you.

"I know how you feel." She said.

"What?" Neville asked, turning back to her. Her eyes were red and puffy but there was a small smile on her face. She patted the ground beside her. Neville tentatively sat.

"It's not your fault Black got in. He would've found another way." Sasha said, staring at a flower across the way.

"Yeah but, it was me. Again. I'm always screwing up." Neville said mournfully.

"Aren't we all?" She paused. "I admire you Neville. You just don't give up." She smiled at him. "And you never should." She added in an afterthought.

"Thank you..." He said, confused. She stood and dusted herself up, then took his hand again and pulled him to his feet, but didn't drop his hand. It was pudgy and sweaty. He blushed bright red.

"I have a feeling, Neville Longbottom, that you will do great things." She let go of his hand, which dropped to his side, then walked swiftly from the greenhouse leaving Neville terribly confused and honestly, she was pretty confused as well.

That night, Sasha returned to the common room, sat down next to Seamus, pulled out her potions book and began studying. He didn't say a word, instead, he gave her a small smile and continued to do his homework. That's the thing about best friends. You don't have to hear sorry, to know they mean it. Soon, the Sirius Black issues was clouded by an issue very upsetting to Sasha. Buckbeak had been sentenced to execution. Upon reading the letter Hagrid had sent, short and riddled with spelling errors and tears, Sasha began to cry. She hated the idea that, that majestic creature would be... She wouldn't even think about it. She just sat there and cried into Fred's shoulder, as he was the person who happened to be on hand at the time. She wanted to visit him but he explicitly told her not to. Then, there was an exciting day in Divination when Hermione, fed up with all the ridiculousness stormed from the classroom. Sasha was secretly very jealous. Tensions were high with finals, and the last Quidditch game coming up. It was against Slytherin and would decide who wins the Quidditch Cup. Sasha very much hoped they would win, especially since it was Oliver's last year to win, and he wanted it so badly. When the day arrived, no Gryffindor was disappointed. Harry caught the snitch and they won the Quidditch Cup. That night there was a party in the Gryffindor common room that rivaled all others. The whole house was dizzy with excitement, the butterbeer flowed freely and the atmosphere was amazing and upbeat. Sasha was talking to Seamus one second, then whisked away by Lavender, then suddenly she was with Dean, until finally she found herself with Oliver.

"Congratulations! You finally did it!" She yelled over the roaring crowd.

"I can't believe it! I never had faith! I should've though. You did!" He hugged his friend.

"I'm going to miss you, when you're finally off in the real world!" Sasha told him.

"I'm ready to go! I'll miss this place but, it's time to move on." Oliver nodded solemnly. Then quickly added "But don't worry, I won't forget the little people in my rise to Quidditch fame. I'll write you all the time!"

"Don't you forget Oliver Wood!" Sasha called out to him as Parvati dragged her away by her sleeve.

Though the Quidditch win provided a much needed distraction, the next day all the focus was back on finals. Finally, the time came to take them. Sasha was disappointed in the care of Magical Creatures exam. She had hoped they would get some sort of challenge, a chance to show her skill. But instead they got Flobberworms. She thought she did fairly well on the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. It had never been her best class, but she did alright in it. Then came the exam she had been dreading.

"You'll do fine." Seamus assured her as they stood outside her room, waiting for their turn.

"That's what I'm worried about. What if I make a prediction that comes true? Then everyone will know!" Sasha groaned.

"Why's it so bad that everyone knows?" Seamus asked.

"Because I have enough going on in my life without people begging me to tell their fortunes all the time." She told him. Then it was her turn and she ascended the ladder.

"Hello Ms. Vogel." Professor Trelawney said dreamily. "I would like you to stare into the crystal ball, and predict my future." Sasha sat across from the women and stared into the swirling wisps inside the crystal.

"This is dumb. I can't see anything in there." Sasha thought but suddenly, she did see something.

"I see...you?" Sasha said. Trelawney nodded absentmindedly. "You're holding something...A bottle. Of...cooking sherry?" Trelawney's breath hitched.

"What was that?" She asked, voice dangerously cold.

"Yes, cooking sherry. You're hiding it. You don't want anyone to know." Sasha said, eyes not leaving the crystal.

"Miss Vogel, your exam is over." Trelawney said.

"That's not all! It's changing!" Sasha said.

"Leave my office Sasha!" Trelawney said.

"It's a werewolf! He's attacking someone!" Sasha saw a scene, the werewolf was hunched over a body. It was in Hogwarts. But, it wasn't a Hogwarts she knew. It was destroyed. The werewolf was knocked out by a crystal ball to the head. The person on the ground didn't move. The image wasn't clear, if she could just get a little closer she'd know who it was.

"Get out!" Trelawney cried.

"No! I don't think they're breathing! Who is it?" Trelawney was up from her seat, puling Sasha away. The picture was fading. She still couldn't see the person on the ground's face. "Stop! No! They're hurt! We have to help them!" Sasha sobbed.

"I. Will. Not. Have. You. Make. A. Mockery. Of. Me." Trelawney said as she pulled Sasha away. She released Sasha and said.

"How did you know? Who told you?"

"Told me what? The sherry? I saw it! It's not important. Someone could be dead!" Sasha cried.

"You saw it? That's ridiculous. You're making up stories." Trelawney said nervously. Sasha turned angrily and descended the ladder.

"What happened up there? I heard yelling!" Seamus exclaimed but Sasha just pushed past him angrily.

"Sasha you've got to tell someone!" Seamus told her later.

"Tell them what? I saw Hogwarts completely destroyed and someone, I don't know who, getting attacked by a werewolf? That sounds ridiculous! Hogwarts is the safest place on Earth!" Sasha groaned.

"But what if it comes true?" Seamus said.

"What can anyone do about it? We don't even know who was attacked!"

"Yeah I guess you're right." Seamus said quietly. The two sat for a moment.

"Hey listen-" He began.

"I was wondering-" She said at the same time.

"Sorry you can go." He said.

"No you." Sasha smiled.

"Well, the Quidditch World Cup is this summer. And me mam and I were going to go. But we have two extra tickets. And naturally I gave one to Dean. So I thought, maybe you'd want the other one." Seamus said nervously.

"Wouldn't you rather take Lavender?" Sasha mumbled.

"No...Why?" Seamus said, confused.

"Well, you've sure spent a lot of time with her this year." Sasha pointed out.

"Well yeah I did. But I had a good reason!" Seamus said. "With you having your dream vision things, I wanted to know more about Divination. So I could help! Obviously, I went to the person who knew the most about Divination, Lavender." Seamus told her. Sasha laughed. She felt so stupid.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She exclaimed.

"You didn't ask!" He laughed. "So you'll go with me?"

"Of course!" Sasha exclaimed.

Finally, the time came to return home for the summer. Sasha was lounging in the twin's compartment along with Lee as they prattled on about everything and anything.

"So they finally catch Black, and he escapes again!" Fred laughed.

"From Hogwarts too! You'd think the safest place in the world could manage to control one guy." George added.

"Then again, he is crazy. Anyways, what are you doing this summer?" Fred asked Sasha.

"Naturally, you'll come stay with us." George said.

"We'll play Quidditch. You're getting pretty good!" Fred added.

"Then there's the Quidditch World Cup." George said.

"Oh yeah. Seamus invited me to go." Sasha told them.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to get tickets." Fred said excitedly, which spurred the boys into a long discussion about who would win. Sasha began to doze off. She dreamed of the summer. Shopping trips with the girls, reading with her brother, long days at the Weasley's and finally, the Quidditch World Cup. Everything seemed so perfect. It had been a rough year, but things were looking up. And Sasha was ready to start over.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: So I've finally reached book four! My all time favorite Harry Potter book. I know I keep saying I'll update more frequently and I don't but I promise this time. Because trust me, it's about to get good. I'm really excited for this chapter and the rest of this story. I will warn you, there will be ONE song fic within the next few chapters. I'll go into more detail about that later. **

"Sasha you can't go out tonight!" Rob told his sister and her friend as they began to exit the house.

"Why not?" Sasha complained. She and Fred were going to go to crowded restaurants and throw some dung bombs around.

"Marie is coming for dinner." Rob blushed.

"Why do I have to be here for that? Wouldn't you rather have alone time with her?" Sasha teased.

"Just stay here! You're going to the Weasley's for the rest of the summer next week, so let's spend some time together okay?" Rob said.

"Not _all__summer_! After the World Cup I'm going to Seamus's." Sasha reminded her brother. Fred made a choked kind of noise.

"It won't be that bad! We can do our plans another time." Fred comforted.

"Okay, fine." Sasha said, making a face. A few hours later, Marie sauntered through the doorway.

"Hello Robert and Sasha!" She exclaimed in her tinkling French accent.

"Hi Marie!" Sasha called from the small kitchen. "Rob will be out in a minute."

"Are you cooking? Allow me to help!" Marie said. She bounced into the kitchen. Her wavy black hair was tied back in a ponytail, with a red scarf going through it.

"I like your scarf." Sasha said.

"Really? I chose eet because eet matches my leepstick!" She said excitedly. "You think Robert will like eet?"

"Yeah he will." Fred said with eyebrows raised.

"Oh... Hello." Marie said.

"Marie this is my friend Fred." Sasha explained.

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Fred." Marie smiled.

"The pleasure is mine." Fred kissed her hand cheekily. Sasha covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Hey everyone!" Rob announced as he strode in.

"Nice tie _Robert_." Sasha giggled, saying his name in a faux French accent. Fred snorted. Rob elbowed her.

"Here Marie let me carry that." He said taking a bowl from her.

"Oh Robert. You are such a gentleeeman!" Marie squealed. Sasha pretended to gag. The night consisted of Rob complimenting Marie and Marie giggling with delight, while Sasha and Fred tried not to laugh hysterically. Finally they finished dinner and Robert walked Marie home. It was a stupid gesture, since she lived across the hall.

"Ah, young love." Fred smiled as they washed dishes. Sasha laughed and splashed him.

"Oh, you want to fight?" He splashed her back, and quickly, they had a water war on their hands. Rob returned to the apartment to find two soaked kids, and a sopping apartment. He sighed and waved his wand, drying them and the room.

"Come one Fred, time to go home." Fred grabbed his arm and the two disapparated. Just as Sasha finished cleaning, Rob reappeared.

"Those Weasley's are a nice family. Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let me leave until I had pie." Rob laughed.

"Yeah she's like that." Sasha laughed. She thought very fondly of the woman who was more a mother than her own.

The next week, her brother took her to the Weasley's for the remainder of the summer. The night before, there had been a very awkward and quiet dinner with the entire Vogel family. The dynamic was so different between the Vogel house and the Weasley house. As Rob and Sasha approached the door, Mrs. Weasley's yells and howls of laughter echoed through the house. There was a small explosion and more yells. Sasha smiled. Rob looked nervous. Over the summer, the twins had been in and out of Rob's apartment all summer and Rob had met the family on countless times but he wasn't entirely comfortable with the closeness of their family, due to being too warped from years of having an estranged family. Sasha knocked on the door and it was thrown open instantly.

"Sasha! It's so good to see you again!" Mrs. Weasley enveloped Sasha in a hug, then also hugged Rob, who awkwardly hugged her back. Next were the twins who burst through the doorway to hug her.

"Guys it's been like a week!" She laughed. They were covered in soot. "What's happened to you?" She giggled.

"We'll explain later." George said. Suddenly, a tall man who looked a lot like the twins arrived in the doorway.

"You must be Sasha!" He said and gave her a huge bear hug.

"Oh, um, hello." Sasha said.

"Oh sorry. I'm Charlie." He grinned.

"You're the one who works with dragons!" Sasha exclaimed.

"That's right!" He beamed.

"You look so much like the twins!" Sasha said, a little unnerved. He was just as tall with the same shaggy red hair, and laughing eyes, but he was more muscly and rugged, with burns scars up and down his arms.

"But more handsome of course." He said with a grin startlingly similar to Fred's.

"Let's go inside!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Robert you must stay for dinner I've been cooking all day."

"Oh I can't...I have a lot of work to do and I just can't." He stammered.

"Next time then." Mrs. Weasley patted his shoulder fondly.

"I'll take those things." Charlie took Sasha's luggage from her brother and carried them to Ginny's room while the twins whisked her off to explain what was going on.

"After a while, buying the same old junk from Zonko's and Gambol and Japes get's old." Fred told her as they walked up the stairs.

"Not that we don't owe them our humble beginnings in pranking." George pointed out.

"So we decided to branch off from the norm,"

"And into a whole new era of pranking." George proudly pushed open their bedroom door. The room was filled with brightly colored smoke. It was pouring from beakers and tubs and all sorts of things.

"What the-" Sasha was at a loss for words.

"Don't speak," Fred said, proudly throwing his arm over her shoulder. "Just take it in."

"What exactly are you making?" She said, throwing his arm off of her.

"Observe." Fred selected a small candy off of the beside table and popped it into George's mouth.

"Fred you-" George's complaint was cut off by him violently throwing up.

"Ew!" Sasha jumped back to avoid splash. George made a move to strangle Fred, who laughed and stepped back.

"Help him!" Sasha squealed partially out of disgust and partially because it was quite funny. Fred grabbed another candy and tried to put it in his brother's mouth, but the vomit made it rather difficult.

"See, here's the catch." Fred said, struggling to shove the candy down his brother's throat. Finally, it must've went down because George stopped vomiting, though the two boys were left soaked in vomit. Sasha covered her nose.

"You guys clean up. I'll be downstairs." Sasha said as she exited the room. She went down into the living room where Charlie was pouring over some papers.

"What are you doing?" She asked, sitting next to him on the couch.

"I'm writing a report." He said, focusing intently on his papers.

"About dragons?" She asked. He looked up, surprised.

"Yeah. Yeah it's about dragons." He said.

"Why are you so surprised?" Sasha said.

"No one ever asks me about my work." He blushed that famous Weasley red.

"How is that possible? It's so interesting!" Sasha said. Charlie beamed. "What are you working on right now?"

"Well, it's basically a report on the mating habits of the Norwegian Ridgebacks..." Sasha was amazed by Charlie's immense knowledge of dragons.

"And those scars? Those are from dragons?" She asked him a while later. He raised hands, which were covered with burns.

"Yeah. There was this one time that we got this new dragon-"

"You two look cozy." Fred said from the doorway.

"Oh hey Fred. Charlie is literally the most amazing person I have ever met. You never told me how interesting he was!" Sasha exclaimed.

"I don't think he's that interesting." Fred scowled.

"Well, you are so missing out. In his report-"

"I need help with something upstairs." Fred said, pulling Sasha with him.

"Oh-oh okay. We'll continue this later." She told Charlie and she was tugged out the door.

"That was very rude Fred. What has gotten into you?" She said angrily.

"I-I don't know." He shrugged.

"Well, knock it off okay?"

"You're my friend. You're here to be with me!" He said.

"So I can't talk to your brother?" She said. Fred thought for a minute.

"You know what, no you can't!" He said.

"Oh my god! Fred you are the most aggravating person I have ever met!" She yelled.

"Is everything okay?" Charlie asked, entering the room.

"Charlie get out!" Fred yelled.

"No I'll leave!" Sasha exclaimed and stormed out. The two boys stood awestruck for a moment.

"You two fight a lot?" Charlie asked his younger brother.

"More than you know." Fred sighed.

The Weasley's garden was the very perfect place to go to escape. It was as though you could get lost in there forever. Eventually, it was George who found her.

"Another fight?" He asked. Sasha was sitting in a tree. It just seemed like a good place to be.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"Can I come up?" He asked.

"Can you make it up here?" She giggled.

"Can I?" He said in a challenging tone, making his way up the tree. He sat next to her.

"I hate your brother." She groaned.

"No you don't." He said.

"I know!" She exclaimed, leaning against him. "Why does he act so crazy all the time?" She asked.

"Listen," George said, tossing his arm over her shoulder. "We're a big family. Everything we've ever gotten is hand me down. There are very few things in life we get that we don't have to share. So when we get something all to ourselves, we don't want to share it. At all. Ever." George explained.

"So...for Fred, that's me?" Sasha asked.

"Exactly." George said. "That's why he hates Seamus so much. He knows you and Seamus are incredibly close and it makes him insanely jealous. He wants you to be his best friend and only his." Sasha let out an exasperated sigh.

"But I'm friends with you, I'm friends with Lavender, Harry, Dean, and Lee. Why does he only freak out with Charlie and Seamus?" She asked.

"We're friends. But we're not as close as you and Fred. And it's the same with everyone else. But Fred isn't dumb. He knows you and Seamus are probably closer than you and Fred, and I think it's driving him crazy. Then he saw you with Charlie and well, Charlie is his older brother. He got better grades, he was well liked, has a good job, Fred is clearly terrified you'll see him as the better brother." George explained. The sun was beginning to set and dark was coming fast.

"How did you get so smart?" She asked George.

"I'm just incredibly talented." He shrugged. "Now come on, let's get inside before mom freaks out." George climbed down the tree with ease.

"Hey George," Sasha said.

"What?" George called up to where Sasha was still sitting.

"What's your thing? The one you don't want to share?"

"Well...I guess I'd have to say, It's Fred."

A few days later, Mr. Weasley, Ron, Fred, George and Sasha travelled to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Dursley to pick Harry up.

"Come on, into the fireplace now." Mr. Weasley said.

"Make sure you're polite now. Arthur, no magic okay? Try not to track ash in their house Ron! Fred? Fred what is that in your pocket?" Fred disappeared into the fireplace before his mother could find out what was in his pocket.

"Sasha." Mrs. Weasley grabbed her arm. "Keep them in line." She pleaded. Sasha smiled.

"Don't I always?" She stepped into the fireplace. There was a nauseating spinning feeling that when it finally ended, landed Sasha in a very dark crowded place.

"Ouch! Bloody hell Sasha!"

"Ron?"

"Someone needs to go back!"

"Fred, get off!"

"I'm George!" The fireplace appeared to be boarded up, trapping all 5 people within. There was a bang and they came tumbling out. When Sasha came to, she was in the middle of what used to be a pristine living room. Now it was an ash covered living room. Harry was thrilled to see them, though his aunt and uncle looked like a good mixture of livid and terrified. Sasha, Fred, and George went upstairs to get Harry's things. On the way, they ran into Harry's cousin Dudley.

"He is rather whale like." George noted.

"George! Don't be rude!" Sasha groaned. "Hi I'm Sasha." She said with a smile, extending her hand.

"I-I'm Dudley." The boy was practically shaking. He feebly shook her hand with his large sweaty hand. He stared at her awestruck. He had yet to drop her hand.

"Erm..." Sasha said.

"Oi mate. Let her hand go." George said. Dudley dropped her hand suddenly.

"Nice to meet you..." Sasha said as Fred pulled her up the stairs. Dudley did not say a word.

"Weird kid." Fred said.

"I guess he's not used to being around magical people." Sasha shrugged.

"Or beautiful girls." George said cheekily. Sasha shoved him into the wall.

"Alright you lot, I think this is Harry's room." Fred said. They quickly collected his things and returned to the living room. As they exited, Fred dropped some candy on the ground.

"Fred-" Sasha said angrily.

"Shh." He covered her mouth. Sasha licked his hand. "That doesn't bother me." He whispered with a grin. She made an angry noise. Next thing they know, Dudley's tongue was growing at an insane rate.

"Fred how could you?" But Sasha's complaints were drowned out by the horrified screams of Mrs. Dursley, and angry shouts of Mr. Dursley.

"Time to go." A hand on her elbow and she was back in the Floo Network. Then she was in the Weasley's living room, standing next to a sheepish looking Fred. He gave her a small smile. She broke into a grin and with that, they were laughing hysterically.

"Did I miss something?" Charlie was sitting on the couch looking confused. Before either could answer, George, Ron, and Harry all fell out of the fireplace.

"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed.

"Why thank you." Fred beamed.

"Now your Aunt and Uncle will never like wizards!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Yeah it's a bit too late for that." Harry laughed.

"I feel bad though, I promised your mum I'd keep a handle on you." Sasha blushed.

"Aw Sash, everyone knows I can't be controlled." Fred grinned.

Excitement was high in the Weasley household in the coming weeks. Everyone was happy that Harry was around but also and more importantly, the World Cup was drawing near. The family with their additional two members had caught what Mrs. Weasley referred to as "That infernal Quidditch fever!" Sasha prided herself in being the only girl the boys allowed to play Quidditch with them, which was a source of never ending jealously for Ginny. As the Cup got closer, life itself became Quidditch. It was all anyone talked about, and thought about, and what they did in their spare time. The day finally arrived, but Sasha was less than thrilled at the early hour of their departure.

"Sasha we're going to be late." Fred groaned.

" Ugh, two more minutes Fred..." She whined. Then someone was seizing her ankles and she was on the floor.

"Fred!" She exclaimed.

"Get ready! Now!" He told her. She picked herself up and shoved him out the door before getting changed and staggering into the hall where Fred was leaning against the wall.

"Can't I just apparate with Charlie?" She yawned.

"No, let's go." Fred said sternly. He grabbed her hand and led her through the house, as she was too tired to be fully aware of herself. In the kitchen, the rest of the family minus Mrs. Weasley, Percy, Charlie and Bill, were waiting. They made their way through the town to the portkey. Sasha was still bleary and felt herself often stumbling as she dragged her feet. Fred sighed audibly.

"Sorry." She croaked. "It takes me a while to wake up."

"Would you like me to carry you?" He joked.

"Can you?" She giggled. It was a long walked but eventually, they made it to the portkey. It was at the top of a large hill. There they encountered Cedric Diggory and his father. Though she had never personally met Cedric, and his father was rather obnoxious, he seemed like a like able guy. He even took a minute while his father was bragging about him to introduce himself to her. The portkey, a very old and gross boot, glowed blue and everyone grabbed hold. There was a horribly uncomfortable feeling as she was pulled by her naval. The Quidditch World Cup was, apparently at a muggle campground. After a long scene where Mr. Weasley tried to figure out muggle money, they finally went to their site. As they walked, Fred and George talked excitedly about gambling in the upcoming game. The drowsiness was slowly leaving Sasha and being replaced by excitement. They made it to their site where Mr. Weasley insisted they put up the tents by hand, meaning, Sasha watched as the boys struggled.

"You could help you know." Fred said as he tried to fit together to poles that clearly did not work.

"But I'm having way too much fun watching you." She said. Fred stuck his tongue out at her. She giggled when suddenly she felt someone grab her from behind. She screamed in shock.

"Seamus!" She threw her arms around her friend.

"Hey!" He said cheerfully. "Ready to go?"

"Now?" Sasha asked, glancing at a dejected looking Fred.

"Yeah me mum wants to meet you, and Dean and I were going to walk around and see everything before the game." Seamus said, tugging on her hand.

"Have fun." Fred said with a small smile.

The World Cup was an amazing experience. Everyone was celebrating, and the match hadn't even happened yet. Seamus led her over to a group of Shamrock covered tents.

"I'm assuming these are yours." Sasha laughed.

"Yes! This is mine over here!" Seamus said happily. No one could be in a bad mood, the jubilation was contagious. A thin, sandy haired woman with a resemblance to Seamus stepped out.

"Oh! There you are! I was wondering where you had wandered off to." She said to Seamus.

"Sorry mum, we went out and look! We found Sasha!" The woman smiled and extended her hand.

"Hello Sasha. I'm Mrs. Finnigan. It's lovely to meet you." Sasha took her hand and shook it.

"The pleasure is mine. Seamus idolizes you!" Sasha gushed.

"I wouldn't say that." Seamus blushed.

"You totally do!" Dean exclaimed. Seamus punched his shoulder. Mrs. Finnigan laughed stiffly.

"Why don't you kids go wander around, go buy some souvenirs."

"Are you sure? Do you need any help setting up?" Sasha asked.

"Oh no, you go have fun." She smiled. The three of them walked away and Seamus laughed.

"You are such a suck up!" He exclaimed.

"Oh hush. I was being polite! Let's just go have fun." Sasha, Dean, and Seamus ran all about the campground. Talking, laughing, meeting new people, buying all sorts of things. Once they were all decked out in their Ireland gear, they headed towards the stadium.

"Our seats aren't the best but..." Seamus shrugged as they fought through the thick crowd leading through the stadium.

"You know who _does_have amazing, top box seats..." Said a familiar voice.

"Fred! Where's all your souvenirs?" Sasha said.

"George and I spent all our money betting." He shrugged. "Are you coming with me or not?"

"Oh well, Seamus is the one who got me the ticket and..." Sasha trailed off.

"You should go. I can't keep you from top box tickets." Seamus grinned.

"Oh thank you Shay! I'll watch the second half with you!" Sasha hugged him and followed Fred as he disappeared into the masses.

"Fred slow down! How can I possibly keep up with you? I'm going to get lost!" She laughed as she chased him.

"Here, don't let go." He offered her his hand and she took it. Finally, after what seemed like forever and a million flights of stairs, they made it to the top box.

"Tickets?" Said a man blocking the doorway. Fred flashed his and tried to push past.

"What about hers?" The doorway blocker asked.

"Here it is." Sasha piped up, holding up her ticket.

"That ticket, is for regular seating. Not, for the top box." The man said sternly.

"Yes but, she's with me. And you wouldn't want to separate 2 hormone crazed, madly in love teenagers now would you?" Fred held up his hand, which was still wrapped around hers, as if proving that they were indeed in love. The man in the door looked around, then grunted.

"Follow me." He took them to Fred's seat, then flicked his wand, making a chair appear seemingly from thin air. Then he abruptly walked away without a word.

"Madly in love?" Sasha laughed.

"Hey, it got us in!" Fred exclaimed. The rest of the Weasley family came in moments later. Charlie sat on Sasha's other side.

"Decided to join us after all then?" He asked.

"For a little bit." She smiled. After some time, the mascots came out. Sasha was thrilled. She had never seen Veelas before. She watched as the men in the box succumbed to the Veelas charm.

"They are so beautiful." Sasha said with a twinge of jealousy in her voice.

"They're not that pretty." Fred shrugged, a grin plastered on his face.

"You're not even looking at them!" She pointed out. He looked at her with wide eyes and said without a hint of sarcasm.

"I guess there are better things to look at."

**A/N****Sorry****I****'****m****not****updating****as****much****but****school****is****hell.****I****meant****to****finish****the****World****Cup****in****this****chapter****but****it****has****been****so****long****since****my****last****update****and****I****thought****that****was****a****good****place****to****end****it,****no?****Next****chapter,****be****prepared****because****you****are****in****for****a****shocker!****Thank****you****to****everyone****for****your****continued****support.****Pretty****please****review!**


	20. Chapter 20

_He looked at her with wide eyes and said without a hint of sarcasm._

"_I guess there are better things to look at."_

The game began wonderfully, full of excitement. The boys all ooh and ahh'ed over the "amazing brooms-man-ship" and "splendid defensive tactics". Sasha, on the other hand, was more interested in watching the handsome Viktor Krum swoop around on his broomstick with ease. Halfway through, she got up to sit with Seamus and Dean. She made her way through the crowd to where the ticket said their seats would be.

"Hey guys!" The seats had a considerably worse view than the top box, but they were still good seats and the view was fine.

"Hey." Dean and Seamus hardly took their eyes off the sky. Sasha laughed and settled between them, a contented smile on her face.

Ireland was up by 160. The Snitch was nowhere in sight. If Bulgaria got the quaffle through just once more, then caught the snitch, it would be a tie game, but that was highly unlikely due to Ireland's stupendous Keeper. Suddenly, Krum was off. Was it another Wronski Feint? The crowd was silent for a second. Every person in the stadium held their breath and watched. Then, like a wave crashing, there was an explosion of sound.

"Krum caught the snitch! Ireland wins! Ireland wins!" What happened next, Sasha never could quite recall. Everything was moving so fast, but also, so slow. There was Dean, cheering and jumping on her right, and to her left, there was Seamus a grin on his face. Their eyes caught and before either one knew what was happening they were kissing. Sasha was vaguely aware of Dean yelling something along the lines of encouragement towards Seamus. She pulled back and a small smile escaped her lips.

"I've wanted to do that for a very long time." Seamus said.

Back in the Irish section of the tents, everyone was crazy with happiness. The firewhiskey flowed freely through the adults and there was butterbeer all around for the kids. Mrs. Finnigan offered each child a sip of Firewhiskey. The liquid burned Sasha's throat as it went down, tasting like peppered hot coals. Sasha screwed up her face, causing Mrs. Finnigan to laugh heartily.

"It's an acquired taste dear." She said. After hours of singing and dancing and celebration, the 3 teens finally retired to bed in the tent, but it felt like Sasha had only slept for minutes before she was startled awake. She vaguely remember a dream of a horrible skeletal face in the sky, but there was no time to consider it. Peeking her head out the tent, Sasha saw a horrific scene. Dark figures in masks were rampaging about the camp grounds. High in the air were three figures, writhing and twisting horribly.

"Seamus! Dean! Wake up!" Sasha cried.

"What's wrong?" Dean mumbled.

"Something's wrong! Wake up!" Dean shot up and gave Seamus a shove.

"What? What's happening?" Seamus asked.

"Come look!" She exclaimed. The two boys followed her to the tent flap and peered out.

"Are those...?" Seamus asked.

"They're coming this way!" Dean exclaimed.

"Run!" Seamus exclaimed. Sasha drew her wand and ran away from the figures, towards the woods. They were not the only ones running. There was a large crowd also trying to escape the masked assailants. Within moments, she lost sight of Seamus and Dean. People were pushing on her from all sides, forcing her to follow them. She didn't know where she was, or what was going on. There was roaring noise in her ears. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't function. Suddenly, like being pulled out of water, she felt someone scoop her up. Fred pushed through the crowd until it finally let up, then put her down.

"Are you okay?" He asked, a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah I just... I just... What happened?" She said, dazed.

"There's been an attack. You were standing in the middle of the crowd like you were hypnotized. I was afraid you were going to get trampled!" Fred told her.

"So you..."

"So I picked you up, and got you out." He blushed.

"Thank you Fred." She breathed in deeply. She looked up. There was the skeletal face from her dream. "What is that? I've seen it before..."

"I hope you haven't! It's the Dark Mark! The symbol of You Know Who! Where did you see it?" Fred asked. Sasha debated how she could tell him that she had dreamed seeing the mark before it had appeared in the sky. It was a long story that she didn't have the energy to retell.

"Sasha!" Seamus ran up. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"I got...lost." She shrugged.

"Well, come on. I think it's safe to go back." He said, extending his hand.

"Maybe you should stay with me tonight." Fred said, grabbing her arm. Sasha looked between the boys, each with a determination in their eyes.

"Fred..." She began. She could see Fred's eyes light up with triumph while Seamus's face fell. "Fred." She repeated. "I have to go." She grabbed Seamus's hand. She began to walk away and urged herself not to look back. There was a horrible finality in her decision that she knew was ridiculous. Fred was her best friend. That was all. She had no reason to feel bad... Did she?

Seamus and Sasha pushed their carts through Kings Cross station. After the World Cup, the two had returned to his house for the small amount of time before school began. The Finnigan household was nice. Not as loud as the Weasley's, though not as awkwardly quiet as the Vogel's.

"Race you to the platform." Seamus grinned. Sasha took off running. "Hey! No head starts!" Seamus chased after her. Sasha ran through the barrier and found herself on Platform 9 3/4. There was tearful goodbyes from families all around, and steam filled the air from the train. Seamus appeared behind her.

"You, are a cheater." He panted.

"And you, are slow." She laughed. They boarded the train and went to their usual compartment where Lavender, Parvati and Dean were already waiting. There were hugs all around and Lavender whispered to her.

"We _need_ to talk!" She had a fiery look in her eyes that made Sasha uncomfortable. The gang was back together and they sat for sometime discussing everything that had happened over the summer. Finally, Sasha made to get up to find Fred, George, and Lee.

"Where are you going?" Seamus asked.

"Where I always go." Sasha said. Seamus gave her a confused look. "To find the twins...?"

"Oh right." He said. "Just stay here a while longer. I want you to be here when I tell the story of what happened the other day when we went to that Muggle store. You tell the story better anyways." And that was how it went, every time Sasha tried to leave, someone found an excuse for her to stay. Soon enough, the ride was over and she had never left. She figured it wasn't that big of a deal. The twins knew she had other friends. The group got into a carriage and made their way to the school. They entered the Great Hall to find it was decorated splendidly for the feast.

"Where have you been!" Fred exclaimed. "You never came to our compartment!"

"Sorry, I kept getting distracted and we all had so much to catch up on and-"

"Sasha come on there's seats over here." Seamus grabbed her hand to pull her away.

"I'll talk to you later Fred!" She said, an apologetic look on her face. She turned away, missing the look of disappointment that was slowly growing on his face. Sasha sat next to Seamus.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I haven't talked to Fred at all and then you come over and yank me away?" She said angrily.

"Sorry Sash, it won't happen again." But she could hear it in his voice, he wasn't sorry. They enjoyed their food and buzzed about their summers until Dumbledore finally interrupted them.

"So! Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it.

As ever, I would like to remind you all that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year.

It is also my painful duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year. This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teacher's time and energy- but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts..." He was interrupted as a strange looking man walked in. Sporting a peg leg and a crazy eye that seemed not to go the same direction as his other. Sasha instantly had a bad feeling. She just hoped it wasn't one of her psychic feelings.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Professor Moody.

As I was saying, we are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event which has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're joking!" Fred exclaimed. Sasha looked down the table to Fred and smiled at him, he gave her a weak smile back. It felt odd, not being with him.

"I am _not_ joking Mr. Weasley, though, while you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun who all go into a bar...er...but maybe this is not the time...no...where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament...well, some of you will not know what this Tournament involves, so I hope those who _do_ know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wonder freely.

The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years, as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry- Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The school took it in turns to host the Tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities- until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the Tournament was discontinued. There have been several attempts over the centuries to re-instate the Tournament, none of which have been very successful. However, our own Departments of Magical Co-operation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that, this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger.

The Heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Hallowe'en. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money.

Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts, the Heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on the contenders this year. Only students who are of age-that is to say, seventeen years or older-will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the Tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts Champion. I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen.

The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October, and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!" Well, that certainly got people talking. They walked back to the common rooms.

"Going to bed?" Seamus asked.

"Not yet." Sasha said firmly. He seemed tentative to leave her but finally, slowly, went up to his dormitory. Not a minute later, Fred walked in. He searched the room for a second before rushing over and hugging her tightly.

"Fred! I just saw you in the hall!" She exclaimed.

"But that prat Seamus dragged you away!" He said, still not releasing her.

"Okay, okay, let me go! And don't call him a prat! He's my boyfriend!" He slackened his grip so her feet could once again touch the floor.

"Yeah yeah yeah." He groaned. She looked at her friend for a moment before asking the question she knew he had an answer to.

"So how are you going to get into the triwizard tournament?"

"You know me so well." He pulled her to the couch and began shooting off ideas with her. George joined them for some time as they formulated their plan. Eventually, she had to sleep, so she left the twins to their plan and quietly ascended the stairs to her dorm. She quietly tiptoed in and changed into her pajamas, desperately trying to avoid waking anyone up. She slid under the covers and silently applauded herself for being so stealthy but, the moment was ruined in seconds.

"_Lumos_." There, in front of her, were the faces of Lavender and Parvati. Sasha groaned.

"Can we do this tomorrow? I'm tired."

"Of course not! You didn't even tell us about you and Seamus!" Lavender exclaimed.

"We want answers now!" Parvati added in a whisper.

"I don't know what to say. Or where to start." Sasha shrugged.

"Tell us everything." So she did. She told them about last year. How she thought Seamus liked Lavender. How jealous she was. She told them about the World Cup. About staying at his house afterwards. When she finished, she searched her friend's faces.

"That is so cute!" Lavender exclaimed.

"How does Fred feel about it?" Parvati asked quietly.

"I don't know. How should he feel? He's my friend." Sasha snapped.

"Well, I always thought...You two were so close..." Parvati shrugged, unable to find the words to explain to Sasha.

"He's my friend. I could never even think about him like that..." Sasha said, pushing the thought away.

It seemed, to Sasha, that school should come second to the Triwizard Tournament. It was an odd feeling, collecting Bubotuber pus when in a few months, a student from their school would be risking his or her life in an incredibly difficult challenge. She tried to maintain hope that Care of Magical Creatures would actually be a useful class that year, but found herself greatly mistaken when the class found themselves wrangling something called a Blast Ended Skrewt. Not that she wasn't good at it. At the end of the class, she had the least amount of burns. Divination was a bore. Sasha found that predicting the future had practically nothing to do with anything Trelawney said. It didn't help that Harry seemed to be in a bad mood, simply making her angry. The end result was a months work of planetary charts. At dinner, the twins raved about Mad Eye Moody, calling him a genius. Of course, since it was coming from Fred and George, that meant Mad Eye was mostly likely insane. Sasha heard about how Moody had turned Malfoy had turned into a ferret. It was probably the greatest thing she had ever heard. She was bursting at the seams to have his class. Finally, it was Thursday and Sasha and Seamus headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"I don't know about this new teacher." Seamus said.

"Why? Are you scared?" Sasha said.

"Of course not!" Seamus puffed his chest out. "Are you?"

"Terrified." Sasha joked.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you!" Seamus declared before stepping into the classroom. Naturally, his arrogant macho-ness was gone the moment he saw old Mad Eye Moody. It was definitely an interesting class. Sasha was shocked to find that Mad Eye showed them the Unforgivable Curses.

"This can't be legal." She whispered to Seamus.

"It's not." Seamus said, Sasha noted the hint of fear in his voice and couldn't help but think, Fred would have a completely different reaction. She could just imagine his voice.

"About time we got a teacher around here with a little spunk." Then he would flash his Fred Weasley smile and be the first to volunteer to have the Imperious Curse used on him.

"You alright?" Seamus asked. She must have been staring off into space, daydreaming.

"I'm perfect." She smiled brightly.

The school year ticked by. There was endless amounts of homework, shrouded by the impending Triwizard Tournament. Hermione had recently come to the revelation that Hogwarts employed house elves and was now on a kick to free them. She called her organization S.P.E.W. and it was the source of never ending jokes from the twins. Not that she had a lot of time to joke with them. Seamus seemed very against Sasha spending much time with them, which caused the rift that had recently been closed somewhat between Fred and Seamus, to reopen to a proportion much bigger than it ever had been. In October, it was announced that the representatives from the other schools would be coming at the end of the month. The school was humming with excitement, waiting for October 30th.

"Wake up Sasha they're going to be here any minute!" Parvati was shrieking.

"Who? Who's going to be here?" Sasha grumbled.

"Durmstrang and Beauxbatons!" Lavender cried, throwing clothes around looking for something to wear.

"Lav you realize that we have to wear our uniforms right?" Sasha said sitting up.

"I know but looking at my clothes soothes me." Lavender sighed.

"Do you need soothing?" Sasha stood up and began getting dressed.

"Um, duh! Do you realize who will be here in a matter of hours?" Parvati exclaimed.

"A bunch of foreign students?" Sasha guessed.

"A bunch of foreign _guys_." Lavender corrected. "These Hogwarts boys are getting dreadfully boring."

"We need a new batch of men around here." Parvati waggled her eyebrows. Sasha snorted, which earned her a scowl.

"I'm sorry. You two are being ridiculous." Sasha pulled on her cloak and left the room.

"Hey there you are!"

"Oh, Seamus. Have you been waiting for me?" Sasha asked. She had hardly stepped into the common room when Seamus had appeared by her side.

"Yeah. I know you like to sleep in so I figured I'd wait up. I brought you some pumpkin juice." He said eagerly.

"Oh thanks Shay but I think I'm okay." Sasha said.

"Well, the other students are going to be here any moment. We should start walking." Seamus said grabbing her hand.

"Oh well, Lavender and Parvati were hoping to walk with me I think." Just then there was a crash from the girls dormitory and a squeal from Lavender.

"I think they might be a while." Seamus grinned. Sasha couldn't help but laugh.

"I suppose so."

The Hogwarts students were lined up neatly and pristinely. Teachers flitted about adjusting them to be sure they looked perfect. Sasha rolled her eyes and made a laughing sound. Seamus nudged her.

"Shh Sasha this is important." He said sternly. She sighed and glanced around. A ways over, Fred had enchanted his hair to flash rainbow colors, causing McGonagall to rush to him, wand already out to fix his hair. He caught her eye and winked. She giggled.

"Seriously Sasha. They'll be here any minute." She sighed audibly. Seamus pretended not to hear her.

First to arrive was Beauxbatons. Girls in robin's egg blue danced lightly from their carriage. Despite the fact that it was tiny, they all seemed to fit in there quite comfortably. The most spectacular thing though, was not the size of the carriage, but what was pulling it. Pure white horses soaring on long feathered wings. Sasha was amazed.

"Shay do you see those? They're amazing!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Yeah... I mean, they're not that great! Just girls...with silky hair and...and..." Seamus seemed flustered.

"I was talking about the horses Seamus!" Sasha laughed.

"Oh...right." He gave her a half smile and wrapped his arm around her waist. She rolled her eyes.

Next was Durmstrang, arriving in a boat that rose up from the depths of the lake. In marched men with short hair, wearing blood red shirts and wrapped in fur.

"They're much more suited for the weather than the Beauxbaton girls. Though no guys here seems to be complaining." Sasha noted.

"I for one think they look ridiculous..." Fred appeared at her side. "Look at how they're shivering."

"Yeah me too." Seamus said quickly. Fred chuckled and shook his head before wandering off.

Everyone filed into the Great Hall. Sasha sat between Fred and Seamus. It was awkward, seeing as the two seemed to be as tense as ever, but she pretended it didn't bother her. The Beauxbaton girls sat together, and stuck their noses up to many of the dishes.

"A bit particular, aren't they?" Sasha whispered to Fred.

"Yeah, high maintenance it seems. I like my girls down to earth. A lot like-"

"I wish the Durmstrang boys would've sat over here. I would've liked to discuss tactics with Krum." Fred was cut off by Seamus, much to Sasha's dismay. She would've liked to know who Fred was interested in... Because he was her friend. And she wanted him to be happy.

**Author's Note: Seamus/Sasha! Can you believe it? I'm so sorry this has taken so long! My grades have slipped a lot this year and my mother is making it difficult for me to access a computer for more than 10 minutes. Plus I haven't reread Harry Potter yet this year. But today, I put the Goblet of Fire in and just kept replaying it until this chapter was done. Thanks to everyone who has stuck around this long. Excitement to come in the next chapter.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Once again, I find myself feeling terrible as I fail to keep my promise of updating more frequently. All I have to offer is a thousand thanks to everyone who has stayed with me, and the hopes that I will update. I'm sorry I'm so slow but I'm trying, truly! Love to all xoxo**

After eating, Dumbledore explained that in order to enter the Tournament, they have to put their name into The Goblet of Fire. He also added that there is an age line around the goblet, so no one under seventeen could enter.

"There goes your plan Fred." Sasha nudged him.

"Sasha Vogel. Do you truly doubt me that much?" He flashed his famous grin. Sasha smiled and hugged him.

"What?" Fred asked.

"I've just missed you."

"Come on Sasha, it's about time we went to bed." Seamus said, grabbing her hand. She considered pointing out that Seamus didn't decide when she went to bed, but she really wasn't in the mood to cause a scene.

"See you tomorrow Fred. Good luck." She laughed.

Everyone was up bright and early the next morning, even Sasha which was weird. They all rushed down to the Great Hall to watch people enter their names. She saw all sorts of people from different schools and houses enter their names. Suddenly, Fred and George burst in, making a spectacle of themselves.

"Show offs." Seamus scoffed. She gave the boys a thumbs up as they chugged down their age potions and stepped over the line. At first, everything was fine. They slipped their names into the goblet and everyone cheered, then, the goblet erupted and they were thrown across the room in a dramatic explosion. When they scrambled off the floor, they were sporting thick white beards and bedraggled hair and instantly began fighting.

"Boys! Boys stop!" Sasha rushed over to pull them apart. When she finally did, everything seemed fine. That is, until Fred looked up and saw Seamus laughing.

"Oh you think this is funny Finnigan?" He snarled.

"Yeah, a bit." Seamus sneered.

"Won't be so funny when I bash your face in!" Fred lunged for him.

"Oh like you could you git!" Seamus dodged him easily and Fred made another attempt.

"Fred stop!" Sasha grabbed him and pulled him back.

"No! I'm tired of this arse constantly sneering at me! Acting like I'm beneath him because he has... he has..." Fred's voice died off.

"Has what Fred? What does he have that you haven't?" Sasha was infuriated by Fred and Seamus. Fred opened his mouth as if to speak, then shut it quite suddenly.

"Nothing." He finally stammered out. "Everything's fine. Everything. Is. Fine." He said it slowly and quietly, as if trying to convince himself. And with that, Fred turned on his heel and stormed out the Great Hall.

"Sasha! Sasha I'm sorry!" It wasn't Fred, chasing after her, which was a sore disappointment, but it was Seamus.

"I know you hate it when we fight. And I didn't mean to! He just, came at me." Seamus exclaimed.

"I know Seamus." She said dully.

"Do you want me to... I dunno, talk to him?" Seamus asked, shuffling his feet.

"And say what? This'll all blow over. Thanks anyways Shay. Besides, I know you're thrilled about all this." Sasha said with a small smile.

"Yeah, I am actually. But I know you'll both get over this. Unfortunately." Seamus groaned. She kissed Seamus lightly on the lips.

"You're wonderful sometimes." She whispered.

"Only sometimes?" He laughed as he pulled her back in.

Sasha was grateful to get to Care of Magical Creatures. Most people in her year resented the class but she was good at it, and it was a good distraction. The Skrewts were now trying to kill each other and they were quite the handful.

"Marvin stop attacking Carlton!" Sasha exclaimed, scooping one up.

"You've named them?" Harry asked.

"Of course. They are living creatures." Sasha pointed out.

"Yeah I guess so..." Harry said skeptically.

"Hold Nathaniel will you?" Sasha said, handing him another. Harry stood rigid as she plopped it into his arms.

"Oh, jeez, okay. So I um, saw what happened with you and Fred..." He said, holding the Skrewt at arm's length.

"What? That little display in the Great Hall? I'm so over that. Watch the stinger!" Sasha smiled as big as she could.

"Ouch! Yeah well I'm sorry about that. I know you guys were good friends." Harry said, still trying to avoid the Skrewt.

"Oh hand me that!" She took Nathaniel back and placed him into a box. "I'm sure everything will turn out just fine." She put on the best fake smile she could muster.

"Okay Sasha." Harry smiled and gave her a hug. "I'll see you later."

"What was that about?"

"Oh Seamus! I didn't see you there!" Sasha laughed.

"I asked you a question." Seamus responded. Sasha raised an eyebrow.

"We were just talking Shay. He was helping me with the Skrewts." Sasha said off handedly.

"Okay then. You could've asked me to help you." Seamus said in an undertone. Sasha simply rolled her eyes.

That night, it was decided who the champions would be. At dinner, Sasha noticed the twins had lost their beards. But it's not like she cared. Dumbledore made a great fanfare as the names burst from the Goblet. The first was some other-worldly beautiful girl named Fleur Delacour. Then Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian seeker with a stocky frame and a sour expression. The competition seemed fierce this year. From Hogwarts came Cedric Diggory. Sasha wasn't sure he could win against Viktor but he deserved the honor. He was a sweet guy. Just as all seemed done and finished, the Goblet acted up a forth time. Another piece of paper was launched into the air and caught by Dumbledore. He was able to get two words out until the hall erupted into noise.

"Harry Potter."

Harry was instantly lead away with the rest of the champions, while the Hall was left to speculate. Eventually, some teacher sent them off to the dormitories. As all houses filed out, snips of conversation were heard all around.

"How did Harry do it? That Goblet is supposed to be cheat proof!"

"It doesn't matter how many people enter the Tournament, Krum will crush them all!"

"Fleur 'as one theeng ze others do not. Those men weel not stand a chance."

"Cedric will show them. The only honest Hogwarts student in the whole thing!"

It seemed the Gryffindors were the only people in the entire school who had faith in Harry.

"What do you think Shay?" Sasha asked, as they sat by the fire.

"I dunno. Harry's a good guy. He's not one to seek fame. But how else would his name get in the Goblet?" Seamus said, one arm over her shoulders, the other prodding the fire, sending sparks up the chimney.

"Who knows? Crazy stuff is always happening to Harry." Sasha shrugged. As she finished speaking, the twins burst in laughing jovially with Lee Jordan.

"They look happy." Sasha noted miserably. Seamus sighed loudly.

"They're always happy." He reminded her. Before she could respond, Harry came into the room, greeted by cheers of excitement. Everyone wanted to know how Harry had done it, especially the twins, but he was insistent that he hadn't submitted his name. The room was crowded with people celebrating and eventually, Sasha felt herself sneaking back to the outskirts of the common room. A few minutes passed where she spoke to no one, then quite suddenly, she felt someone dragging herself across the room.

"Fred! Where are we going?" Sasha laughed as he pulled her through the portrait hole.

"Sh! Keep your voice down! Do you want your boyfriend to hear us?" Fred whispered, grinning.

"Is this some sort of kidnapping?" Sasha asked.

"I'm just going to grab some butterbeers. You looked lonely." Fred shrugged.

"I wasn't-Okay I was a little lonely. But you know how I feel about crowds." Sasha laughed.

"Of course I do. So I'm rescuing you!" He said, voice dripping with fake bravado. "Are you going to come with me, or not?"

Sasha glanced back at the portrait hole, then smiled.

"Of course."

Flames were rising up all around, there was a deafening noise. A droning roar, and then, a real roar. Ear shattering. She ran from the noise, but the suddenly the ground melted into water. She was drowning in the black water, shapes moving around her, but impossible to see. Then she was running, taking random turns, unsure exactly of where she was heading until...

"No!" Sasha screamed, sitting up in bed, dripping in sweat.

"Another nightmare?" Lavender groaned. While Lavender and Parvati had been nothing but nice when the nightmares had started, they were both tired of waking up sometimes multiple times a night.

"I'm sorry...again." Sasha said quietly.

"Was it the same one? Parvati asked, her voice was muffled by head buried in her pillow.

"Of course. I just, don't get what it means..." Sasha sat up and rubbed her temples.

"It's a dream Sasha. It means your brain clearly hates us and wants us to never have any sleep." Lavender growled.

"Yeah I'm sorry. Go to sleep, I'm going to go for a walk." Sasha tiptoed out of the room and heard Lavender's snores before the door was even closed. She slowly tiptoed down the stairs but paused. She heard, just faintly, someone's voice.

"Someone's coming!" It said, in a rough tone. Sasha turned the last corner and saw Harry standing by the fire place.

"Talking to fires?" She asked.

"Oh, I um, I was talking to just myself actually." He said nervously.

"I mean, it's completely normal. I'm not judging." Sasha said in a serious tone. Harry opened his mouth to say something, before realizing she was joking.

"Okay, make fun of me." Harry said.

"I'm assuming you couldn't sleep either." Sasha said, plopping down into a chair.

"Yeah, kind of." Harry shrugged.

"It seems we only ever see each other in the dead of night." Sasha giggled.

"Yes well, we're night owls aren't we?" Harry said. "Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Nightmares. I've been getting them a lot lately." Sasha admitted.

"Yeah I know what that's like." Harry said sympathetically.

"I can imagine! With the Triwizard Tournament and all...I'm sorry, I don't want to pester you but...you didn't...What I mean to say is, people are wondering if..." Sasha struggled to find the right words.

"You want to know if I put my name in." Harry sighed. "Everyone does. I didn't though, if you'll believe me." Harry said, with a tone of sadness.

"That's good enough for me." Sasha said.

"I'm glad to have someone on my side. Not even Ron believes me, I mean, he's my best mate!" Harry seemed to be getting more miserable by the second.

"Harry if you didn't do it, the truth will come out. It always does. Ron's a stubborn git, that's for certain, but when he cools down he'll come to his senses." Sasha said in a soothing tone.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks it's...nice to get out of my head and all the, judgement."

"That's what I'm here for." Sasha laughed, then she paused. "Do you hear that?" There was a light tapping sound coming from across the room. Harry stood up and approached the window. There was some noise as the window swung open, and then closed again.

"I believe this belongs to you." Harry turned around, Bristol clutching to his arm. Sasha smiled.

"There you are pretty bird." She cooed.

"He has a letter." Harry handed it to her, and Bristol fluttered off to perch on an armchair.

"I should go back to bed and let you read your uh, mysterious middle of the night letter." Harry chuckled and ascended the stairs. She looked down at the note in her hand. Who could possibly be sending her a letter at such a late hour. It looked worse for the wear, wrinkled and...singed?

"This letter has come a long way it looks. How strange." Sasha told Bristol. The owl hooted softly in response. She gingerly open the worn parchment, careful not to rip it.

_Sasha,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I know it's strange, me contacting you after we haven't spoken since the summer but after you took such an interest in my work I knew this was an opportunity you wouldn't want to miss out on. I don't want to ruin the surprise but I think you would really enjoy what I have in store. If you can, meet me by Hagrid's tomorrow night at midnight._

_Regards,_

_Charlie_

_P.S. I must ask you to keep this rendezvous quiet, I am sticking my neck out a bit for this and I don't want trouble._

Sasha must have reread the letter a hundred times. A strange and incredibly vague letter arrives in the middle of the night, sent by a man she hardly knew, asking her to meet him in the dead of night by the creepy woods. Sasha couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to go. On the one hand, the invitation sounded dangerous. She couldn't just go out into the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night to see... She didn't even know what she was going to see. On the other hand, Charlie was a Weasley, and she could trust him.

"What do you think Bristol?" When she turned to look, the owl had already flown out the window and away.

"I guess you have no opinion." She sighed, and read the letter another time. "Just do it." She said to no one in particular. "It'll be an adventure."

Thanks to the twins, sneaking out of the castle was no trouble at all. It was dark though and she was cautious. Hagrid's house was brightly lit, and she knocked lightly. It was a rare occasion when Sasha snuck off without the twins and she felt incredibly uncomfortable without one of them to lean on. The large wooden door swung open and, not unlike the first time she met Charlie Weasley, she was enveloped in a gigantic hug.

"Sasha! I'm glad you could come!" He exclaimed in his booming voice.

"Yeah I'm glad too! But I'm not really sure what I'm in for..." Sasha's voice was excited, but it was clear she was still wary.

"Oh you're in for quite the surprise." Charlie laughed. Before she had another word, Charlie was heading towards the woods.

"Follow me!" He called.

"Charlie, this is really weird! I didn't even tell your brothers where I was going and I don't know what I'm getting myself into! Charlie!" But Sasha's protests fell on deaf ears as Charlie kept up at a quick pace. Sasha practically had to run to keep up, struggling to stay within the light shed by the lantern.

"Will you hush? You'll wake every beast in the forest!" Charlie laughed. His laugh was a lot like Fred's, which made her feel a lot better.

"Charlie _please_ tell me what's happening!" Sasha exclaimed after a time, in a final attempt for answers. Before she could even fully complete her sentence, she ran straight into his back. "Charlie!" She shrieked, horribly confused.

"Sasha!" Charlie yelled, spinning around and grabbing her shoulders. "Will you just look?" Sasha peered around his broad shoulders and gasped. Impossibly large cages stood in a line, and within 3 of them, were some sort of large boulder like objects. The forth cage though, was alive. The dark shape inside was thrashing, flames flying everywhere, while people who looked tiny next to him raced about shouting commands.

"The left claw! No, the lower one you idiot! Lock down the _lower _left claw!"

"Watch the flames Porter! Are you trying to get yourself burned to a crisp?"

"Goddamn it the tail is free! The tail you numpty!"

It was beautiful chaos, as the men struggled to rope the monster to the ground. Smoke and fire filled the air, illuminating random things like a work of art. A tail, a claw, eyes, _those eyes. _They were beautiful, deep, dark, filled with anger and fear and power.

"Oh... Oh I can't believe... They're..." Sasha couldn't speak, her whole life she had wanted to see one, hear one, experience one.

"Dragons." Charlie was just as mystified as she was, entranced by the pure beauty.

"Oh Charlie I can't believe you let me see them!" Sasha squealed, ready to faint due to excitement.

"Sasha we're gonna do more than see them." Charlie said with a grin, as he began to approach the scene below. Sasha was so shocked she couldn't even move.

"Charlie, you're not... You can't be serious..." Sasha gasped, her hands shaking. He looked up at her and laughed.

"You're not scared, are you Sasha?" When Sasha saw his devilish grin, she was reminded of another redhead of Weasley descent.

"Of course not." She said, confidence flooding through her. She stood up tall and walked smoothly up to Charlie. "You look so much like Fred, you know that right?" She said, patting his cheek. "Now show me how to wrangle some dragons!"


End file.
